Page 75 - 2020 Defence White Paper

Section

2 Reinforcing Counter
Capabilities Against Nuclear

and other WMD Threats

The ROK Armed Forces has been strengthening the ROK–US combined capabilities
and posture as well as its own capabilities and posture to effectively deter and respond
to nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The ROK Armed Forces will continue to Chapter 3
strengthen its counter capabilities and posture against North Korean nuclear and other
WMD threats until the complete denuclearization and establishment of a permanent
peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, efforts will be made to build key
forces as early as possible in order to acquire deterrence and response capabilities.

1. Developing Deterrence and Response Capabilities Against
Omnidirectional Nuclear and Missile Threats

Developing a ROK-US Tailored Deterrence The ROK and the US have
Strategy and Facilitating the Implementation of enhanced their combined
US Extended Deterrence deterrence and response
capabilities based on the
bilateral "Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS)" to effectively counter North Korean
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nuclear and missile threats. 17)
The ROK Minister of
TDS, which is a ROK–US joint deterrence and response strategy tailored for National Defense and the
US Secretary of Defense
the Korean Peninsula in consideration of the characteristics of the North Korean approved the Tailored
Deterrence Strategy at
leadership and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats has been upgraded from the the 45th SCM held in
October 2013. It is the first
concept of general extended deterrence provided by the US TDS and covers both deterrence strategy that
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the United States set up
military and nonmilitary response measures that can be implemented in all crisis with an individual ally. Its
strategic concept is more
scenarios, from the stage in which North Korea threatens to use nuclear weapons advanced than the general
to the stage in which nuclear weapons are actually used. TDS is significant in that concept of “extended
deterrence” because it is
it allows for the ROK and the US to maximize the deterrence and response effect optimized for the situation
on the Korean Peninsula.
against North Korean nuclear and missile threats by providing a bilateral response
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framework that makes most of the deterrence ways and means available to the two The US commitment to
provide deterrence for its
allies. allies using the full range
of military capabilities,
To develop the TDS and facilitate the implementation of the US extended deterrence including nuclear,
conventional, and missile
commitment, the ROK and the US operate various policy consultative bodies defense capabilities

Chapter 3. Safeguarding Peace by Establishing a Robust Defense Posture Against Omnidirectional Security Threats 73