U.S. and South Korean defense officials convened for a two-day meeting this week to discuss combined readiness against North Korean nuclear and missile threats and other alliance issues, according to Seoul and Washington.

The 22nd Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) concluded the same day that North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that prompted evacuation alerts in Hokkaido, Japan.

The Pentagon and ROK Ministry of National Defense said the two sides “acknowledged that the DPRK continues to diversify its delivery systems and advance its nuclear capability following unprecedented missile testing in 2022 and continued provocations in 2023.”

U.S. and ROK