Seoul to cooperate with U.S. on missile defense

The South Korean Defense Ministry said Saturday that it plans to strengthen cooperation with the United States on its anti-missile defense system to maintain peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, although it does not plan to join the U.S. system.

“South Korea and the U.S. will continue to discuss issues such as policy management and the sharing of information to protect the Korean Peninsula against the threat of weapons of mass destruction when their Extended Deterrence Policy Committee meets,” the ministry said in a statement released to clarify comments made by its minister, Kim Tae-young.

Kim made statements during a National Assembly audit the day before that implied South Korea could join the U.S. missile defense system, which it later denied.

South Korea’s missile defense system is designed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles from North Korea, while the U.S. system aims to block the North’s Rodong missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting Japan and the U.S.

By Christine Kim [christine.kim@joongang.co.kr]