The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed their view that North Korea's recent launch of trash-carrying balloons into the South is a violation of the Armistice Agreement that halted the Korean War. 

South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held talks on Sunday on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

According to Seoul's Defense Ministry, the two sides strongly condemned the North's reckless acts of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region with a series of missile launches and threats. 

The defense chiefs also condemned the North's recent failed attempt to launch a spy satellite as a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and a threat to the peace of the international community. 

The two sides also shared the view that the North's launch of trash-carrying balloons into the South is a violation of the Armistice Agreement. 

Shin said that the government will actively support a formal investigation into the launch by the United Nations Command, which monitors compliance with the Armistice Agreement. 

Austin reaffirmed the United States' extended deterrence commitment and emphasized that U.S. forces stationed in South Korea will continue to play their role on the Korean Peninsula.