S. Korea, US stress alliance's 'robustness' amid growing N. Korean 'threats'

Washington, Sep 13
The defence chiefs of South Korea and the US have reiterated the "robustness" of the two countries' alliance in a phone call, the Pentagon said, as Pyongyang has ratcheted up tensions with missile launches and other "provocative" moves.





Seoul's Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday held the talks after Pyongyang launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea and unveiled a new road-mobile missile launcher earlier this week, Yonhap news agency reported.

"The two leaders reviewed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a readout.

"Both officials reaffirmed the robustness of the ROK-US Alliance and reviewed priorities to strengthen the combined defence posture," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Austin also noted that he looked forward to hosting Kim for the allies' annual defence ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting, which is slated to take place in Washington later this year.

This week, Pyongyang has been "raising tensions" on the Korean Peninsula.

On Friday, the North's state media revealed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently visited a uranium enrichment base -- a rare disclosure of Kim's tour of such a key nuclear site. There, he called for increasing the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment.