-Caveat Lector- >From Reuters Friday January 15 5:13 AM ET Cohen Allows S.Korea To Develop Long-Range Missiles <Picture: Reuters Photo> Reuters Photo SEOUL (Reuters) - Defense Secretary William Cohen gave the green light to South Korea to develop longer-range missiles to deal with perceived threats posed by its neighbor North Korea, a Korean defense ministry spokesman said Friday. Cohen and South Korean Defense Minister Cheon Yong-taek discussed the missile development during their annual bilateral security talks Friday, he said. ``Cohen approved the development of longer-range missiles in a positive and favorable manner,'' the spokesman said. When Cohen was asked for confirmation during a news conference, he said: ``We have reached an acceptable accommodation on the needs of the Republic of Korea to deal with the situation as far as the threats posed by the North.'' ``And that agreement is satisfactory with the United States,'' he said. But the spokesman said the two ministers differed on their views over the development procedures. ``The United States demanded South Korea guarantee transparency in its development of longer-range missiles, whereas South Korea said it would report its development after deployment of the missiles,'' he said. ``The two sides will continue to negotiate.'' Up until now South Korea has been restrained from developing missiles with a range of more than 180 km (112 miles) due to U.S. concerns over missile proliferation. There are nearly 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and tensions have risen steadily in recent months over Pyongyang's test launch of a three-stage Taepodong ballistic missile in August and intelligence indications that the North might be breaking an agreement to end its nuclear arms ambitions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From Agence France Presse Friday January 15, 6:45 PM US offers Seoul "nuclear umbrella" against attack from North SEOUL, Jan 15 (AFP) - US and South Korean defense chiefs called on North Korea Friday to halt its long-range missile program, warning that the North could face nuclear retaliation should it launch attacks on the South. South Korean Defense Minister Chun Yong-Taek linked rumors of a looming crisis with the North this spring to fears that Pyongyang would launch another of its long-range Taepo-dong missiles. Such a launch "would indeed undermine stability on the Korean peninsula," Chun said at a news conference here with US Defense Secretary William Cohen. In a joint statement following an annual security review, Cohen and Chun "urged North Korea to cease its testing, development, deployment and export of missiles." "It is our hope that the North will see fit to reduce the tensions, to resist the temptations to launch more Taepo-dong missiles, and to create any instability in the region," Cohen said. North Korea's August 31 launch of a three-stage rocket over Japan stunned the region because it showed a dramatic improvement in the Stalinist nation's ability to strike over long distances. The United States is ready to provide a "nuclear umbrella" for South Korea if it is attacked by the North, the joint statement said, amid worries both about Pyongyang's missile program and its suspected nuclear ambitions. "Secretary Cohen reaffirmed the US commitment to render prompt and effective assistance to the ROK (South Korea) for repelling any armed attack .. and provide a nuclear umbrella for the ROK," it said. Chun said he and Cohen discussed "military-diplomatic countermeasures" to any missile launch and suspicions about an underground site in the North that Washington believes may harbour a secret nuclear complex. Cohen reiterated comments he made in Japan earlier this week that he did not discuss a military option for dealing with North Korea. However, in their joint statement, the defense ministers said they discussed early deployment of US reinforcements in the event of a crisis and deterrence against any North Korean attack which used chemical and biological weapons or missiles. Cohen and Chun said they were worried that North Korea, "despite profound economic difficulties, continues to develop and produce not only conventional weapons but also ballistic missiles and chemical and biological weapons." "They once again confirmed that the use of inhumane weaponry such as chemical and biological weapons would not be tolerated in any situation." Cohen and Chun outlined a strategy of deterrence and dialogue with North Korea, including continued four-party peace talks involving China, the United States and the two Koreas. "We will maintain a strong deterrence as we pursue dialogue with North Korea," Cohen said. Washington is pressing for access to the underground site at Kumchangri, which it suspects may be in violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework which froze North Korea's nuclear program. US and North Korean officials are due to meet Saturday in Geneva to discuss US demands for inspections of the site. North Korea has so far blocked access to the site, demanding a 300-million-dollar payment from the US for any inspection. "We are not suggesting there is conclusive evidence (of a North Korean violation)," Cohen said. "We believe there is sufficient evidence for us to be suspicious of that site and our suspicions must be addressed." In the statement, the two sides said that the commitments made under the Agreed Framework should be faithfully upheld, including the promised construction of two light-water nuclear reactors for North Korea. The North has charged repeatedly that Washington is undermining the agreement by failing to make good on its promise to supply 500,000 tonnes of fuel oil a year until the reactors are built. "The two ministers concurred that smooth implementation of the light-water reactor project in North Korea is critical to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue," the joint statement said. Cohen, who arrived on Thursday following defense meetings in Japan, is due to meet President Kim Dae-Jung before returning to Washington Friday night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From Agence France Presse Thursday January 14, 7:10 PM US, S.Korea agree to set up psychological warfare force against North SEOUL, Jan 14 (AFP) - The United States and South Korea agreed Thursday to establish a joint psychological warfare unit to try to win over North Korean civilians in the event of war on the peninsula, officials said. Meeting for annual security talks, US and South Korean military chiefs also discussed ways to rapidly reinforce the 37,000 US troops in South Korea in the event of a crisis, the officials said. US Defense Secretary William Cohen arrived here from Tokyo to join the talks, which come amid questions about North Korean intentions and its compliance with a 1994 agreement that froze its nuclear program. "You are now deployed in one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the world," Cohen told members of an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter brigade south of Seoul. "As you know, we are looking at a country up north (North Korea) that doesn't really have the ideals we have or share them. "They can pose a serious threat to the entire region. Your presence here helps maintain that stability," he told soldiers at Camp Humphreys, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Seoul. Cohen also visited a military intelligence unit at the camp which keeps watch over movements of North Korean forces from reconnaissance aircraft that gather imagery and signals intelligence and downlinks it to commanders. Earlier in Tokyo, Cohen warned a strong deterrent was needed to prevent North Korea from attacking its neighbours. "Nuclear weapons and long-range missiles in that combination, certainly in the hands of the North Koreans, would be very destabilising to the rest of the region," he added. The launch of a three stage North Korean rocket over Japan on August 31, and the discovery of a suspicious underground facility in Kumchangri, North Korea, have confronted Washington with difficult questions over how to deal with Pyongyang. Washington still sees the Geneva 1994 Agreed Framework, which froze North Korea's nuclear program in return for the promise of two light water nuclear reactors, as in the interests of the United States and the two Koreas. But Cohen has warned that its viability will be put in question unless North Korea agrees to inspections of the underground site, which Washington believes is for a secret nuclear facility. The North has issued almost daily blasts of rhetoric against the United States, making Washington and its allies increasingly impatient. On Thursday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency warned the 1994 accord had already reached "such an extent as it may break up of its own." "It is none other than the US that has created serious threats to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula in wanton violation of the agreed framework," it said. "Now, the US is loudly crying that the Geneva agreement may be 'broken.' However, the agreement has already reached such an extent as it may break up of its own accord due to the US hypocritical and double-dealing attitude." The North's military threat topped the agenda at talks Thursday between US Joint Chiefs of Staff head General Henry Shelton and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Jin-Ho, who agreed to set up the Combined Psychological Operations Task Force (CPOTF). "The CPOTF will combine trained South Korean personnel and advanced US equipment to stage psychological operations towards North Korean citizens in case of war on the Korean peninsula," a US military official told AFP. The two generals expressed "serious concerns over North Korea's missile development, concurring that North Korea's military threat remained high despite its continued economic woes," he said. They also discussed "in-depth ways to deploy US reinforcements rapidly in case of North Korean aggression to include the use of missiles," he added. The official said the agenda included joint security efforts if a crisis such as the intrusion of a North Korean spy submarine in 1996 should arise again. 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