Navy chiefs of S. Korea, US discuss boosting cooperation after N.K. satellite launch

The chiefs of the South Korean and US navies met aboard a US aircraft carrier Friday to discuss enhancing military cooperation, officials said, amid heightened tensions over North Korea's spy satellite launch.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo and his US counterpart, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, held the talks aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier currently docked at a naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Yonhap reports.

The meeting took place after North Korea launched the satellite on November 23 in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from any launches using ballistic missile technology.

During the talks, Yang called for bolstering the allies' combined defense posture, citing military threats posed by North Korea, according to his office.

"Amidst a grave security situation where North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are advancing, let's upgrade the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture to another level by closely working together based on the ties built between our navies," he was quoted as saying.

Franchetti, who arrived in South Korea on November 23 for a two-day visit, previously served as the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Korea from 2013 to 2015. She took office as the U.S. Navy's top officer earlier this month.