S.Korea, U.S. to preemptively respond to signs of DPRK nuclear threats

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U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (L) gestures with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin during a welcoming ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 2, 2013. (Xinhua/Park Jin hee)

SEOUL, Oct. 2 -- South Korea and the United States agreed on Wednesday to take preemptive measures with all military capabilities available if signs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear strikes are detected, Yonhap News Agency reported.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel signed the so-called "Tailored Deterrence Strategy" against the DPRK's nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats during their annual Security Consultative Meeting.

The strategy outlined tailored deterrence against three possible scenarios of the DPRK's nuclear threats, including threatening, impending usage and usage of nuclear weapons, by mobilizing both diplomatic and military tools.

At the second stage of impending usage, Seoul and Washington may preemptively take military strikes such as the American nuclear umbrella, conventional strikes and missile defense capabilities.

Tensions mounted on the Korean peninsula earlier this year following the DPRK's third nuclear test in February and its long- range rocket launch in December last year.

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