Allies plan expanded exercise for 'extended deterrence'

Korean Ambassador to U.S. Cho Tae-yong at a press conference held in Washington on Monday. [NEWS1]

Korea's ambassador to the U.S. said South Korea and the United States are currently working on a joint tabletop exercise (TTX) that goes beyond military maneuvers to embrace diplomacy, information and economics.

The expanded exercise reflects the alliance’s move toward “extended deterrence” against threats from North Korea.

Ambassador Cho Tae-yong told reporters in Washington on Monday that the two countries took part in the U.S. Defense Department’s 8th Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise (DSC TTX) at the Pentagon on Feb. 22.

The next day, the ambassador visited the U.S. nuclear submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia, with a Korean delegation and their U.S. counterparts, the first visit of its kind.

Kings Bay is home to Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines that carry nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

“We plan to pursue a TTX in which several agencies from each country will participate in the near future,” Cho said.

“We have reaffirmed the commitment to extended deterrence that utilizes all defense capacities, including nuclear weapons, as pledged by President Joe Biden during the South Korea-U.S. Summit in May last year.”

He added, “The two sides are closely cooperating to strengthen the alliance’s executing power.”

Cho said South Korea strongly denounces North Korea’s launch of an Intercontinental ballistic missile on Feb. 18, calling it a “provocation.”

“It is deplorable that North Korea clings only to developing nuclear weapons and missiles despite its severe food shortages,” he said.

He stressed that North Korea’s “provocations” have only further isolated the regime from the international community while bringing South Korean and the U.S. closer together in their alliance.

South Korea on Feb. 10 announced its own independent sanctions against North Korea’s illicit cyber activities, which the South Korean government blames for funding Pyongyang’s weapons program.

However, the Korean ambassador said Seoul and Washington remain open to dialogue.

“We urge North Korea to end its provocations and return to denuclearization negotiations,” Cho said.

Regarding economic cooperation with the U.S., the ambassador said the South Korean government is closely monitoring the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, including the follow-up measures the U.S. government will announce in March.

“These are issues that affect our economy,” Cho said. “We are having close discussions with the U.S.”

The ambassador said the U.S. is welcoming President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Washington in April.

He also said that South Korea and the U.S. agree that it is too early to determine whether the recent appearances of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter Kim Ju-ae pertain to the nation’ leadership succession.

Since making her first official appearance in November, Kim’s daughter has appeared next to her father in several major events, including a military parade on Feb. 8.

Her most recent appearance was Saturday when she attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a major construction project in Pyongyang.

While Kim is reported to have three children, Ju-ae is the only child who has made public appearances

BY KIM HYOUNG-GU, LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]