S.K., U.S. to conduct ‘4D Operation’ drill to destroy N.K. nukes in March

South Korea and the U.S. will reportedly conduct their first joint drill on "4D Operation," a response system for North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, as early as in March, it was informed on Tuesday.

The 4D Operation, which mobilizes all combat capabilities of the South Korea-U.S. allied troops, consists of four phases, Detect-Disrupt-Destroy-Defense, as a customized response system to cope with threats from the North’s nuclear weapons and missiles.

“After conducting the first drill on 4D Operation at the South Korea-U.S. joint Key Resolve military drill in March this year, the two allies will develop it into an official operation system through additional training,”said an official in the South Korean military said on Tuesday.

Defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. officially announced the establishment of a plan on 4D Operation at their 47th annual Security Consultative Meeting in November last year. The South Korean military official said the military reported this to the parliamentary National Defense Committee on last Thursday, the next day after Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test.

At a consultative meeting of vice foreign ministers in Tokyo on Saturday, the three countries of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will discuss about sanctions against the North and direction for response to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons. The South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry said the vice foreign minsters’ meeting, which will take place after a consultative meeting between chief negotiators of six-party talks from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in Seoul on Wednesday in a grim environment that has been created due to the North’s fourth nuclear test, will offer an opportunity to seek cooperation between high-level officials.

ysh1005@donga.com