Page 369 - 2018 Defense White Paper

8. The Minister and the Secretary noted that the ROK and U.S. armed forces are continuing to develop
military plans related to crisis situations on the Korean Peninsula to ensure an effective Alliance response.
They reaffirmed the need to continue promoting combined exercises and training events and to enhance
combined capabilities to prepare for any North Korean provocations in the vicinity of the Northwest Island
and Northern Limit Line (NLL). Moreover, the Minister emphasized to the Secretary that the NLL has been
an effective means of separating the ROK and North Korean military forces and preventing military tension
for more than 60 years, and urged North Korea to accept the practical value of and abide by the NLL.
The Secretary respected the Minister’s position on the matter. Additionally, the Minister and the Secretary
reaffirmed that the Armistice Agreement and the UN Command remain crucial instruments in maintaining
peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Minister and the Secretary committed to continue
ROK-U.S. naval cooperation, which would bolster Alliance response capabilities against increasing North
Korean maritime provocations. In particular, the two officials lauded previous ROK-U.S. combined naval
exercises, such as carrier strike group exercises, ballistic missile warning exercises, and anti-submarine
warfare exercises and pledged to continue them. Both sides highlighted that ROK-U.S. naval cooperation
improved following the February 2016 relocation of Commander, Naval Forces Korea (CNFK), to the
Busan operational base, which also hosts the ROK Naval Operations Command. They also praised U.S.
ship port calls to major ROK Navy operational bases, including in Busan, Jinhae, and Jeju.

9. The Minister and the Secretary pledged that the ROK and the United States would address wide-

ranging global security challenges of mutual interest, including through peacekeeping operations
(PKO), stabilization and reconstruction efforts, regional security cooperation initiatives, and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief. The Secretary praised the ROK contributions to various global efforts,
including efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), counter-piracy in the Gulf of Aden,
and UN peacekeeping operations. The Minister applauded the leadership demonstrated by the United
States in its response against global security challenges, such as its efforts against ISIS. The Secretary
expressed appreciation for the ROK Government’s continued active participation in the Proliferation
Security Initiative (PSI). The Minister and the Secretary applauded the ROK-U.S. Counter WMD (CWMD)
efforts to enhance the Alliance’s combined capability to prevent the acquisition and use of WMD, and
to mitigate its threats. Additionally, the Minister and the Secretary assessed that the Adaptive Shield
exercise has contributed to Alliance response capabilities against various chemical, biological, and
radiological threats, and resolved to strengthen cooperation on this front.

10. The Minister and the Secretary reaffirmed the need to strengthen cooperation in the space and
cyberspace domains, and to promote the security of critical infrastructure of information and space

Appendix 367