South Korea asserted on Wednesday that it was capable of deterring its northern neighbour from attacking it, even if the United States transfers military assets to the war-torn Middle East.
Washington, a key security ally of Seoul, has some 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea and has positioned missile defence systems there to help deter any aggression from North Korea.
The two bordering countries are technically still at war since the 1950-1953 conflict, and the North possesses nuclear weapons.
The Washington Post reported this week that, according to anonymous officials, the United States was transferring elements of its THAAD, a high-altitude anti-missile system considered one of the most advanced in the world, from South Korea to the Middle East.
"Whether or not some USFK (United States Forces Korea) assets are deployed abroad, there is not the slightest problem concerning our deterrent posture towards North Korea, given the level of our military capabilities," the defence department said in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.
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