The United States on Friday set up a joint military body with the Republic of Korea (ROK), aimed against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the two countries' defense chiefs announced in Washington.

The body, extended deterrence policy committee, was set up during talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and visiting ROK National Defense Minister Kim Tae Young. The two met in the Pentagon for their annual Security Consultative Meeting.

During a news briefing after the talks, Gates reaffirmed U.S. security assurance to Seoul, saying Washington is "committed to providing extended deterrence using the full range of American military might: from our nuclear umbrella to conventional strike and ballistic missile defense."

"We have also achieved significantly meaningful accomplishments, " Kim said through an interpreter, "such as the development of the defense cooperation guidelines that will realize the future vision of the alliance and the agreement to systemize the extended deterrence policy committee, a cooperative mechanism in the area of extended deterrence."

Washington places South Korea under its nuclear umbrella, and reaffirmed this every time their defense chiefs meet during the annual Security Consultative Meeting since 1978. However, according to Seoul, this was the first time that they agreed to institutionalize a joint military body to develop specific countermeasures against the DPRK's nuclear programs.

During the briefing, Gates warned Pyongyang that "in the wake of the Cheonan incident... provocation and aggression will not be tolerated."

On March 26, ROK frigate Cheonan, with 104 crew members aboard, sank near the maritime border with the DPRK after an unexplained explosion. ROK investigators released the results of their inquiry on May 20, saying the warship was sunk by a DPRK torpedo, a claim vehemently rejected by Pyongyang.

Gates and Kim also discussed the threats facing the alliance, the condition of the forces today, and the continued transformation of the alliance.