S. Korea, U.S. discuss stronger deterrence against N. Korea

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean defense officials said Thursday they held
working-level talks with their U.S. counterparts to discuss ways to follow up on
the summit agreement between their leaders last month.
The Security Policy Initiative (SPI) talks, the 23rd since 2005, were held in
Seoul for the first time since South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S.
President Barack Obama met in Washington in June.
In a joint statement, Washington reaffirmed its pledge to provide South Korea
with a bolstered deterrent against Pyongyang. About 28,500 U.S. troops are
stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a
truce. The U.S. would deploy bombers and other strategic weapons on top of its
nuclear umbrella should North Korea provoke aggression on the peninsula,
according to the summit agreement.
"The extended deterrence was discussed at the SPI talks, which mainly focused on
ways to follow up on the summit," a South Korean official said, adding Lt. Gen.
Kim Sang-ki led the South Korean side.
Michael Schiffer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia,
represented the U.S. side during the talks held at the South Korean defense
ministry, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Other areas of interest included cost sharing related to the relocation of U.S.
bases in South Korea," he said.
The U.S. plans to move most of its frontline troops to Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of
Seoul, in the next several years as part of its global troop realignment. The new
housing in Pyeongtaek will cost approximately 1.7 trillion won (US$1.2 billion).
samkim@yna.co.kr
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