South Korea and the United Nations Command (UNC) member states adopted a joint statement Tuesday condemning North Korea's "unlawful" nuclear and missile program and vowed a united response in the case of Pyongyang's aggression.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, as well as senior defense officials and representatives from 16 other UNC member states, gathered for their first meeting at the defense ministry to evaluate its role and explore ways to deepen their security cooperation.
The U.S.-led multinational command was established in July 1950 under a U.N. mandate to support South Korea against North Korea's aggression and has been overseeing the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
"They strongly condemned the DPRK's unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," a joint statement said, referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The participants urged North Korea to "cease any unlawful behavior" and abide by its U.N. Security Council resolutions, and pledged to unite in the event of contingencies on the peninsula.
"The UNC member states declared that they will be united upon any renewal of hostilities or armed attack on the Korean Peninsula challenging the principles of the U.N. and the security of the Republic of Korea," it said.
As a host nation, South Korea agreed to step up cooperation with the UNC member states and share combined training and exercises between Seoul and Washington to deal with security challenges, according to the statement.
The meeting comes as South Korea is seeking to deepen ties with the UNC under a vision to play a bigger role on the global stage by expanding networks and cooperation with like-minded nations.
During the inaugural meeting held in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the armistice, President Yoon Suk Yeol praised the multinational command's contribution to overseeing the armistice and promoting peace and stability on the peninsula.
"In the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and continued provocations, I believe today's meeting will become a starting point for bolstering the cooperation and solidarity of partnering nations that share common values and will serve as a milestone towards the future," Yoon said in a message delivered by Deputy Minister for Defense Policy Heo Tae-keun.
On Monday, North Korea renewed its calls for dissolving the UNC and condemned the meeting between South Korea and the UNC member states as a "dangerous" scheme to spark a "new war of aggression" against Pyongyang.
Some 1.98 million personnel from 22 countries were dispatched to help South Korea during the war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. More than 40,000 of them died, with 3,950 others missing, according to veterans ministry data.
The current UNC member states are the United States, Britain, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, the Netherlands, Colombia, Greece, New Zealand, Belgium, France, South Africa, Norway, Denmark and Italy.