South Korea, USA to hold talks on deterring the DPRK

By Alimat Aliyeva

South Korea and the United States will discuss ways to strengthen security cooperation and deter North Korean nuclear and missile threats this week, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

The Korean-American Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) will be held in Washington on Thursday. It is noted that during the negotiations, the allies plan to discuss ways to implement the "Concept of the Alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea in the field of defense," approved by their leaders in November last year.

The concept includes stepping up efforts for "enhanced deterrence" against North Korea and strengthening regional security cooperation with like-minded partners.

The talks will be attended by South Korean Deputy Minister of Defense for Political Affairs Cho Chang Rae, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security in the Indo-Pacific Region Eli Ratner and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Andrew Winternitz.

The talks, which will take place this week, are being considered as part of preparations for the upcoming third meeting of the Nuclear Advisory Group (NCG), which will be held in June.