WASHINGTON, Oct 19: The United States will make no change in its standard commitment to extend a nuclear umbrella over South Korea (ROK) despite reports that Seoul is seeking a more detailed understanding, a senior US defense official said on Thursday.

Annual US-South Korean defense talks will conclude Friday with a final communique containing the same language on the US commitment that it has every year since 1978, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We have really no plans to discuss the details of the umbrella either publicly or privately,” said the official.

He said the US commitment on nuclear deterrence “simply is a fact. It’s a component of our mutual defense treaty. And we’re happy to let the statements stand for themselves as they have for the past 30 odd years.”

The official said he was addressing the issue because of speculation in South Korea and the region in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Seoul Thursday to discuss how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear test.—AFP