Defense chief denounces N. Korea's missile launches at ASEAN defense forum

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul on Thursday denounced North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches as a threat to security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, as he was attending a regional defense ministers' meeting in the Philippines, his ministry said.

Earlier in the day, North Korea fired around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area. The North's missile launches came as Kang was meeting with the defense chiefs of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners.

"Today at this very moment, North Korea is threatening the Korean Peninsula and the regional security by firing a number of missiles," Kang said during a plenary session of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).

On the recent explosion caused by North Korean mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), Kang said the incident amounted to a "clear violation" of the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War and a "provocation."

"It is difficult to check on the opponent's intentions when communication is ruptured, and mutual mistrust and tension can lead to further clashes and crisis," Kang said, calling for the resumption of dialogue between the two Koreas.

The Sept. 21 mine blast injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously, but Pyongyang has denied its responsibility.

He urged the North to return to dialogue to ease tension on the peninsula and restore peace between the two Koreas, citing Seoul's later proposal for military talks with Pyongyang.

Last week, South Korea proposed holding military talks with North Korea to discuss the issue of clarifying the precise location of the border in a bid to prevent possible clashes near the inter-Korean border. The North has yet to respond to the proposal.

The ADMM-Plus, which kicked off Wednesday for a two-day run in the Philippines, brought together the defense leaders of the 11-member association and its dialogue partners, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia.

It marks the first such meeting attended by Kang since he took office in September.

On Wednesday, Kang met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, where the two sides agreed to push back their key bilateral security dialogue typically held in late October or early November to early next year.

He also held back-to-back bilateral talks with the defense chiefs of Malaysia, India and the Philippines to discuss regional security issues.

sookim@yna.co.kr
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