SINGAPORE, June 12 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said on Sunday his country would significantly boost its defense capabilities and work closely with the United States and Japan to counter the threat posed by North Korea.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international conference on Asia-Pacific defense and security being held in Singapore, Lee Jong-sup said the situation on the Korean Peninsula posed a global threat and urged North Korea to immediately end its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
“Our government will strengthen its (defense) capabilities and significantly improve its response capabilities,” Lee Jong-sup said.
“We also seek to strengthen trilateral security cooperation between the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan to respond to threats posed by North Korea,” he added.
North Korea has carried out at least 18 missile tests this year, highlighting developments in its nuclear and weapons programs. (Report Joe Brock; French version Camille Raynaud)