"Acting South Korean President Hwang briefed US President Trump on Seoul's stance regarding the installation of the US THAAD system in South Korea. Trump expressed an active understanding and called for a further boost in bilateral cooperation, which will be discussed during US Defense Secretary Mattis' upcoming visit to South Korea," the press release said.
However, the text of the White House's press release indicated that the THAAD issue was not discussed during the two leaders' telephone conversation, according to Sputnik Korea.
"President Trump reiterated our ironclad commitment to defending the ROK [South Korea], including through the provision of extended deterrence, using the full range of our military capabilities," the press release, in particular, said.
Sputnik Korea's special correspondent tried to find out the reasons for this discrepancy, but calls to the press releases of both countries remained unanswered.
It is worth noting that "extended deterrence" in terms of a military strategy means that in the event of a nuclear attack on the allied countries, such as the United States, South Korea, Japan and others, an array of weapons will be used, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), ballistic missile submarines (SLBM) and strategic bombers.
After the publication by the US of the Nuclear Posture Review in 2002, the missile defense (MD) and precision strikes system became part of the extended deterrence apart from the three above-mentioned strategic measures.
The concept of "extended deterrence" also means "the possibility of pre-emptive nuclear strike" and includes measures such as interception, notification, detection and removal of contamination characteristics.
Meanwhile, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that South Korean government is right to follow the THAAD deployment plan.
China and Russia have repeatedly showed their objection to the deployment of THAAD, arguing that their real aim was to deter the strategic weapon systems not only in the Korean peninsula’s North, but primarily in China's hinterlands and Russia's Far East regions.
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