S. Korea, US defense chiefs condemn 'reckless' N.Korea provocations

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States denounced North Korea on June 2 over its latest provocations, including the launches of trash-carrying balloons and a military spy satellite, and vowed a firm response, the defense ministry said, Report informs referring to Yonhap.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, made the criticism as they met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, following a series of provocative acts by North Korea that began last week.

The defense chiefs made clear that North Korea's provocations and missile and nuclear development, amid its deepening military ties with Russia, heighten tensions not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the Indo-Pacific region as well, and vowed a stern response, the ministry said in a release.

Shin was quoted by the ministry as emphasizing that the North's launch of trash-carrying balloons is a grave violation of the Armistice Agreement and pledged support for an ongoing investigation into the case by the UN Command.

During Sunday's talks, they reaffirmed continued efforts to deter North Korean threats and bolster the US extended deterrence through bilateral consultative bodies, including the Nuclear Consultative Group, the ministry said.