Senior defense officials of South Korea and the United States strongly condemned North Korea's recent provocative acts, including its announcement to launch more spy satellites, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday. Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae and Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, made the criticism as they held talks by phone for the first time since Cho took office late last month. "The two sides strongly condemned North Korea's recent provocative acts prohibited by the U.N. Security Council, such as its advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities and announcement to launch additional reconnaissance satellites," the ministry said. At a year-end key party meeting, the North's leader Kim Jong-un called for stepped-up war readiness to deter "unprecedented" acts of U.S.-led confrontations and laid out plans to launch three more military spy satellites and bolster the nation's nuclear arsenal in 2024. The ministry said the two officia ls made clear that South Korea and the United States will strongly respond to any North Korean provocation and threat undermining regional peace and stability. Ratner reaffirmed the "ironclad" U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the defense of South Korea, according to a release from the Pentagon. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend an ally. They also discussed the importance of continuing to deepen trilateral security cooperation with Japan, it said. Source: Yonhap News Agency