(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Seoul August 21 (QNA) - South Korea and the United States agreed to work closer to effectively deter North Korea's military provocations Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo and visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work met and assessed their militaries' preparations against threats posed by North Korea. The allies are currently staging a two-week annual joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian. The two military leaders denounced the North's recent series of missile firings as "grave challenges" to regional and global security and "agreed to further strengthen bilateral policy coordination to deter and effectively respond to them" the ministry said in a statement. They also agreed that the annual exercise "is a key contribution to the assurance of the secure Korean Peninsula and the maintenance of the joint defense posture" it said. Earlier in the day Work observed the two-week joint military drills which kicked off on Monday with some 50000 South Korean forces and 30000 U.S. servicemen taking part. (QNA)
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