Page 68 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Section 2 Reinforcing Response

Capabilities against Nuclear

and WMD Threats

The ROK Armed Forces has been strengthening the ROK–U.S. combined capabilities and posture as
well as its own to effectively deter and counter nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The ROK
Armed Forces will maintain the military readiness postures as well as continue to strengthen the response
capabilities and posture to counter nuclear and WMD threats from North Korea until the complete
denuclearization and establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, key forces
will be set up as early as possible to acquire autonomous deterrence and response capabilities.

1. Developing Deterrence and Response Capabilities against

Omnidirectional Nuclear and Missile Threats

| Development of a Tailored Deterrence Strategy and the Enhancement of Capability to

Implement U.S. Extended Deterrence | The ROK and the United States have enhanced
their combined deterrence and response capabilities based on the bilateral “tailored deterrence
strategy 15) ” to ef fectively counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The tailored deterrence strategy is the two countries’ joint deterrence and response strategy
optimized for the situations on the Korean Peninsula with the consideration of the characteristics
of the North Korean leadership as well as nuclear and missile threats. It is a more advanced

15) The ROK Minister of National Defense and the U.S. Secretary of Defense approved the Tailored Deterrence
th
Strategy at the 45 SCM held in October 2013. It is the first deterrence strategy that the United States set
up with an ally. Its strategic concept is more advanced than the general concept of “extended deterrence”
because it is optimized for the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

66 Chapter 3 Establishing a Robust Defense Posture against Omnidirectional Security Threats