Drills aren't driving North's missile tests, says defense minister

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, left, shakes hands with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe during a meeting on the sidelines of an Asean Defense MInisters' Meeting in Cambodia on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup rejected the idea that joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul were the cause of North Korea's military provocations in a meeting with the Chinese defense minister.

“North Korea has secretly developed nuclear weapons and missiles even as the two Koreas and the U.S. and North Korea were engaged in dialogue in the past several years,” Lee was quoted by his ministry as having told Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Cambodia on Wednesday.

“The argument that North Korea is further developing its nuclear and missile capabilities in response to U.S.-Korea joint military exercises is not valid.”

The two defense ministers were meeting on the sidelines of the Asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-plus meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, this week. The ADMM-plus group involves non-Asean countries including Korea, the United States and Japan.

In the meeting Wednesday, Wei told Lee that China does not want escalation of tensions or insecurities on the Korean Peninsula, adding that Beijing has “continuously and actively played a constructive role” in the security of the region, according to the Korean Defense Ministry.

North Korea has fired more than 60 ballistic missiles this year including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last Friday.

The Chinese and Russian ambassadors to the United Nations have blamed the United States for the North’s provocations, and called on Washington to ease sanctions on Pyongyang and end joint military exercises with Seoul.

Washington and Seoul have been conducting joint military trainings, including a 240-aircraft exercise earlier this month and a trilateral anti-submarine warfare exercise between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo in September.

"North Korea's expansion of its nuclear and missile capabilities will only strengthen unity between South Korea and the U.S., as well as between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, and will be met with strengthened pressure from the international community," Lee said in the meeting.

The ministers agreed to resume ministerial visits that have not been held since 2015, as well as vice-ministerial meetings on defense halted since 2019.

Citing a recently started navy and air force hotline between Beijing and Seoul, the two ministers agreed the hotline should be “utilized actively” to prevent any miscommunications.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]