Min. Cho urges airtight combat posture

National Defense Minister Cho Seong-Tae said Monday that irrespective of changes in inter-Korean relations and the security situation, there should be no changes in the armed forces' basic duties and missions and stressed that the military must maintain a firm combat posture.

Minister Cho made the remarks in the capacity of chairman of an informal meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and commanders of the army corps and higher-level military units that was held in the first conference room at the Defense Ministry.

At the meeting, the minister also said that despite the fact that the substance of North Korea's armed threat has yet to be removed, there are rising calls for defense budget cuts, arms reductions and the withdrawal of U. S. troops from Korea.

Cho Young-Kil, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and leader of the key commanders' meeting later in the afternoon, called on the participants to further consolidate the nation¡¯s combat readiness on the basis of the joint Korea-U.S. defense posture and thus back the government's ongoing inter-Korean policy of reconciliation and cooperation with strong military force.

Hwang Yoo-Seong yshwang@donga.com