The 17 member states of the United Nations Command(UNC) have vowed to jointly respond to any renewal of hostile acts or armed attacks against South Korea. 

The representatives of the 17 UNC member states released a joint statement to that effect on Tuesday after the inaugural defense ministerial meeting of South Korea and the UNC in Seoul.

The statement said that the UNC member states will be united upon any renewal of hostilities or armed attack on the Korean Peninsula challenging the principles of the United Nations and the security of the Republic of Korea.

The statement strongly condemned North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile programs that violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions, urging the North to stop these illegal activities.

The participant countries also agreed to promote joint military exercises and training between the South Korea-U.S. alliance and other UNC member states and to increase exchanges and cooperation.

The participants assessed that the UNC has effectively contributed to curbing war on the Korean Peninsula over the past 70 years, calling the 1953 Armistice Agreement an effective means to stop hostilities on the peninsula and preserve the status.