SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the United States on Thursday pledged to strengthen their comprehensive strategic Alliance of bilateral, regional and global scope, based on common values and mutual trust.

    The two sides made the commitment in the 41st Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the two nations held here Thursday, which brought South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Tae-young and his U.S. counterpart Robert M. Gates.

    According to a joint communique reached at the end of the meeting, the two sides reiterated that South Korea and the United States will not accept the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear weapon state.

    During the meeting, the two sides discussed the DPRK's recent military moves such as missile and nuclear tests in April and May this year and recent short-range missiles launches.

    The two officials reaffirmed these acts clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions and Six-Party Talks agreements, undermine the global non-proliferation regime and constitute direct and grave threats to peace and stability not only for South Korea and regional neighbors, but also the entire international community, according to the joint communique.

    The two sides agreed to closely cooperate on the full and faithful implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874, and to continue joint efforts to achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the DPRK in a peaceful manner through the Six-Party Talks.

    The two also agreed to further strengthen defense cooperation between the two nations, and reaffirmed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance has an important role in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

    The United States is committed to providing "extended deterrence" for South Korea, using the full range of military capabilities, to include the U.S. nuclear umbrella, conventional strike, and missile defense capabilities. It also promised to maintain the current U.S. troop level in Korea.

    The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against the DPRK.

    The two sides also agreed to work together to promote multilateral security cooperation in the region and globally, and enhance close alliance cooperation to address wide-ranging global security challenges of mutual interest, including through peacekeeping activities, stabilization and reconstruction efforts, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, according to the joint communique.

    On issues concerning the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, the two sides confirmed that the timetable for the transition due on April17, 2012 remains unchanged. They will regularly assess and review the implementation at the annual security meetings, and reflect it in the transition process.

    The U.S.-led U.N. Command captured the operational control of South Korean military forces in 1950 when the Korean War erupted. South Korea took back the peacetime control of its 650,000-strong forces in 1994 but the wartime operational control still remains in the hands of the U.S. commander in South Korea.

    Seoul officially requested regaining the wartime operational control in September 2005. According to an agreement reached between the two sides, Washington will transfer the wartime operational control to Seoul on April, 17, 2012.