Page 205 - 2020 Defence White Paper

a permanent peace regime on the
Korean Peninsula. The ROK Minister
of National Defense and the US Secre-
tary of Defense agreed that stability
has been maintained and that the
possibility of accidental clashes has
been significantly reduced through
the suspension of hostilities in all bor- 52nd ROK–US SCM (October 2020)
der areas on land, at sea, and in the air,
which was achieved by the two Koreas implementing the CMA, and through
continuous implementation and management of the Armistice Agreement by the
United Nations Command (UNC).
The Minister of National Defense and the Secretary of Defense assessed the ROK-
US alliance to be robust and reaffirmed their commitment to combined defense to
defend the ROK as agreed upon under the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the ROK
and the US.
In particular, the US reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the combined
defense with the ROK as specified in the Mutual Defense Treaty, including the Chapter 6
provision of extended deterrence to the ROK by operating all categories of military
capabilities including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities. In the
same context, the Minister and the Secretary agreed to jointly seek ways to enhance
the deterrence posture of the ROK–US alliance and to implement the tailored
deterrence strategy (TDS).

Furthermore, following the pledge by the ROK and US heads-of-states to pursue
harmonious cooperation between the ROK’s New Southern Policy and the US Indo-
Pacific Strategy in accordance with the regional cooperation principles of openness,
inclusiveness, and transparency, the MND and DoD carried out the Future Defense
Vision of the ROK–US Alliance joint study considering the changes to the future
security environment and, through the study, derived joint principles for the defense
authorities of both nations and defense cooperation measures for each field to enable
effective responses against new challenges and security threats in the future. Under
the commitment of developing the ROK–US alliance’s defense cooperation in a
complementary, future-oriented manner, the Minister and the Secretary agreed to
close cooperation so that the alliance can protect common national security interests
in the world–especially in Northeast Asia–even after the establishment of peace on
the Korean Peninsula.
The ROK–US alliance continues to develop into a comprehensive strategic

Chapter 6. Developing a Robust ROK–US Alliance that is Mutually Complementary and Promoting Defense Exchanges and Cooperation 203