US vows close consultation with S. Korea over military options against NK

US Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris has vowed to seek close consultation with South Korea to review military options in response to North Korea's threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday.

Harris made the remark during his meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Thursday at the headquarters of the command in Hawaii. It is part of Song's five-day visit to the US which started Tuesday.

"The US commander reaffirmed Washington's ironclad commitment to defending South Korea in the face of North Korea's threats," the Ministry of National Defense said. "He said PACOM will closely consult with the South Korean government and the Joint Chiefs of Staff over all military options that can be considered."
 

PACOM is in charge of commanding US forces' military operations in the Asia-Pacific region including the Korean Peninsula.

Tensions flared up again on the peninsula as North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday. It said that the launch is a "prelude" to containing the US territory of Guam, near which it earlier threatened to fire four missiles.

They discussed "the grave threat posed by North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, as well as ROK-US coordination measures to effectively respond to provocations on the Korean Peninsula," PACOM said on its website, using the abbreviation for South Korea's official name of the Republic of Korea.

The ministry said that Song stressed the importance of keeping a strong Seoul-Washington defense posture to curb additional provocations by North Korea.

"It is critical that PACOM and South Korea's defense ministry and military maintain close communication and dialogue channels to counter the North's threats," Song was quoted as saying by the government.

Song made his first visit to the US since he took office in July. He met with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday in Washington. (Yonhap)