Anchor: The top defense officials of South Korea and the U.S. spoke over the phone Thursday to discuss North Korea and how it’s escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Both agreed to strictly hold the North accountable for all outcomes of its provocations. Jang Souie has more.

Report: South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel agreed Thursday to sternly respond to any kind of provocations caused by North Korea.

South Korea’s defense ministry says the two ministers held their first phone talks Thrusday and agreed to hold North Korea accountable for the outcome of any provocation.

Hagel explained the United States’ plan to increase ground-based interceptors and early warning and tracking radar in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile threat.

The U.S. defense secretary may visit South Korea as soon as May and evaluate Pyongyang’s military threat with Kim. The two would also discuss pending issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea.

Hagel and Kim also evaluated that the ROK-U.S. counter-provocation plan singed last Friday will serve as a mechanism to secure a strong and effective response to North Korean aggression.

Kim and Hagel also agreed that North Korea’s nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction will never be tolerated, as they will be considered a challenge to the security of the Korean Peninsula, the region and the world.

They also met eye to eye on the early development of joint deterrence capabilities tailored to address potential crises caused by North Korea.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry explained that the U.S. reaffirmed its promise to back the South militarily with its nuclear umbrella, conventional weapons and missile defenses.

The Defense Ministry says Kim and Hagel agreed to continue holding close conversations with one another. They also agreed to meet as soon as possible to discuss pending issues to develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Jang Souie, KBS World Radio News.