By: Aaron Mehta
WASHINGTON -- An increasingly aggressive North Korea requires an evolving defense strategy from the United States and the Republic of Korea, the heads of those two militaries said today.
In a joint press conference held at the Pentagon, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and South Korean Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo pledged to increase investments in maritime cooperation, cyber capabilities and tri-lateral exercises with Japan, in moves that line up with what the Pentagon is has called the third phase of the Obama administration’s rebalance to the Pacific.
North Korea yesterday unsuccessfully launched what is believed to be a Musudan missile – the second unsuccessful missile launch in the last week. Speaking through a translator, Han said the repeated failures show the Musudan design still has challenges to work through.
“For political purposes, they're conducting these Musudan launches, and through these failed tests, they've shown their limits. I personally assessed that Musudan launches will continue in the future, although it has not been confirmed,” Han said through a translator, adding that “We assessed that there was a high possibility that [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un was at the site when the launch occurred.”
But the threat cannot be dismissed, especially after North Korea’s apparently successful nuclear test in September.
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