The United States and South Korea have vowed to launch an “overwhelming response” that they said would end the Kim Jong-un regime if North Korea launched a nuclear strike.
issued by allies joint communiqué US Defense Secretary Lloyds Austin and South Korean Defense Secretary Lee Jong-seop met at the Pentagon on Thursday.
Austin reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to providing South Korea with “all U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities and advanced non-nuclear capabilities.”
“Any nuclear attack against the United States or its allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the demise of the Kim regime,” he said in a statement.
austin said joint press conference North Korea’s activities are destabilizing the region. “So we call [North Korea] Stop those activities and start a serious dialogue,” he said..
US and South Korea extend air drill
The joint statement followed a series of North Korean missile launches this week. In it, the South Korean military said North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, but the launch may have failed.
A suspected ICBM launch prompted the United States and South Korea to extend joint air training until November 5. The Vigilant Storm exercise was attended by his 240 military aircraft and RAAF aerial refueling tankers from both sides.
“I have consulted with Minister Lee and have decided to extend the long-scheduled combined training exercise, Vigilant Storm, to further strengthen readiness and interoperability,” Austin said.
North Korea denounced the decision as a “dangerous and wrong choice”. The ruling Labor Party’s secretary, Park Jong-cheon, warned that the extended aerial training would be “out of control.” Korean Central News Agency report.
The Kim regime sees the US-South Korea joint exercises as “aggression rehearsals” and responds with a barrage of missile launches. North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Thursday after firing more than 20 missiles the day before. One of them is believed to be the aforementioned ICBM.
South Korea’s military launched three air-to-surface missiles in response to Wednesday’s missile launch. Officials said the missiles landed at a similar distance beyond the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called an emergency national security meeting on Wednesday and ordered North Korea to take “strict measures” to ensure it “pays a clear price for its provocations.” rice field.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer covering Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.