US-ROK Defense Talks in Washington Discuss Response to 'North Korean Troop Deployment'

Agenda Including Strengthening Extended Deterrence and South Korea-U.S.-Japan Security Cooperation

South Korea and the United States will hold the 56th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), the highest-level military talks between the two countries, to discuss responses to North Korea's deployment of troops to the Ukraine war and other issues.

The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 25th that Minister Kim Yong-hyun and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will hold the SCM at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on the 30th (local time). This will be the first meeting between Minister Kim and Secretary Austin since Kim took office on the 6th of last month. Senior officials from both countries' defense and foreign affairs sectors will also attend the meeting.

Kim Yong-hyun, Minister of National Defense, is reporting on duties at the National Assembly inspection held on the 8th at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

At this SCM, both sides plan to discuss the overall defense aspects of the Korea-U.S. alliance to establish a practical foundation for implementing the "Korea-U.S. Alliance Defense Vision" agreed upon last year and to solidify its development into a "global comprehensive strategic alliance." In particular, they will assess the recent security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's deployment of troops in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and discuss coordination on North Korea policy.

Other key agenda items include integrated extended deterrence and strengthening combined defense posture between Korea and the U.S., Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation, defense science and technology and defense industry cooperation, and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

As this SCM is the last under the Biden administration ahead of the U.S. presidential election, it is expected to serve as an opportunity to emphasize the strength of the Korea-U.S. alliance regardless of changes in the domestic political situation in the U.S.