Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

ROK-US defense ministerial talks on phone

On May 25, 2022, at 12:30 (Washington, May 24, 23:30), Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup and his United States (US) counterpart Lloyd J. AustinⅢ held phone talks, and the two ministers shared their assessment of North Korea’s ballistic missile launches this morning and discussed the direction of their intended response to it.

The two ministers strongly condemned today’s consecutive missile launches, stressing that they are a blatant violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and a significant provocation that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community.

Lee emphasized the need for the deployment of US-made strategic assets and the early resumption of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) in preparation for the possibility of additional North Korean provocations, given the current situation.