(LEAD) U.S. ramps up commitment to deter N. Korea on Korean Peninsula

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with joint statement)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The United States declared Thursday it will provide
conventional forces and missile defense on top of its nuclear umbrella to provide
South Korea an effective deterrent against the threat of North Korea's ongoing
nuclear and missile programs.

The affirmation came after South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young met with
his U.S. counterpart, Robert Gates, in Seoul for the annual Security Consultative
Meeting (SCM) between the allies.
The joint communique reached between the sides marks the first time that the U.S.
has expanded on the concept of "extended deterrence" since North Korea conducted
its second nuclear test in May.
"Secretary Gates reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence
for the ROK, using the full range of military capabilities, to include the U.S.
nuclear umbrella, conventional strike, and missile capabilities," the statement
said.
The ROK is the abbreviation of the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official
name. The U.S. has 28,500 troops stationed here as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean
War, which ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
"North Korea continues to pose a threat to the Republic of Korea, to the region
and to others. And as such, I want to reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the
US to the alliance and to the defense of the Republic of Korea," Gates said
during an expanded meeting of South Korean and U.S. defense officials.
"Key to that deterrence capability is our commitment to an enduring US force
presence on the Korean peninsula as part of the combined defense posture," he
said.
The SCM, the 41st of its kind and held alternately in Seoul and Washington, came
as North Korea appeared willing to engage in dialogue with the broader world even
as it showed no sign of halting its nuclear and missile development.
The country, which is under tough U.N. sanctions for the activities, recently
resumed the testing of its short-range missiles for the first time in more than
three months, while warning of a naval clash off the west coast of the divided
Korean Peninsula.
"On the surface, there are signs of some change from North Korea, including its
recent willingness to talk. In reality, the unstable situation such as its
nuclear program and military-first policy continues unchanged," Kim told Gates.
The communique reaffirmed that the allies will not accept North Korea coming to
the bargaining table while being recognized as a country armed with nuclear arms.
"The Minister and the Secretary reiterated that the ROK and the U.S. will not
accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state," it said.
The communique coincides with comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, who warned earlier that North Koreans "should have no illusion that the
United States will ever have normal, sanctions-free relations with a
nuclear-armed North Korea."
"Current sanctions will not be relaxed until Pyongyang takes verifiable,
irreversible steps toward complete denuclearization," she said at a forum in
Washington.
The annual security meeting in Seoul came ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's
trip to South Korea for a summit in mid-November as part of his four-nation Asian
travel.
South Korean media have speculated for weeks that the visit by Gates is aimed at
paving the ground for the U.S. to ask South Korea to increase its military
contributions to fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, possibly including the
deployment of combat troops.
"We encourage the Republic of Korea's political leaders to make an investment in
defense appropriate to Korea's emerging role as a contributor to global security
and commensurate with the threat you face on the peninsula," Gates said in a
speech on Wednesday
"Going forward, Korea's international military contributions should be seen as
what they are -- something that is done to benefit your own security and vital
interests," he said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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