According to Yonhap news agency, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on January 31 reaffirmed the “steadfast” and “unwavering” US security commitment to South Korea.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup following bilateral talks in Seoul within the framework of his visit to South Korea, Minister Austin said there would be more frequent deployment activities than the stealth plane and US aircraft carriers to Korea.
He affirmed that the US commitment to the defense of South Korea “remains unchanged” and that Washington “stands firm on its commitment to extended deterrence.”
Also in his speech, Minister Austin emphasized the goal of “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
“The United States and South Korea are committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and we have long acted to achieve this goal,” he said.
Leader The Pentagon also mentioned plans to hold flagship exercises by allies to strengthen deterrence.
Minister Austin also reaffirmed the importance of the US-Korea-Japan trilateral security partnership.
For his part, Minister Lee Jong-sup also said he agreed with his counterpart Austin on expanding the size and intensity of the allies’ joint exercises.
During the talks, the defense ministers of the two countries emphasized their commitment to facilitate the sharing of trilateral missile warning data under the agreement reached by the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan. in November of last year.
To that end, the two sides agreed to hold trilateral defense talks “at the earliest possible time.”
[Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng Mỹ Lloyd Austin đã đến thăm Hàn Quốc]
Austin’s visit to South Korea comes as Seoul and Washington promote joint military exercises and trilateral security coordination with Tokyo.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is expected to make a four-day trip to the US this week to negotiate on strengthening the alliance between the two countries on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-US alliance.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on January 31 that within the framework of the visit to the US, Minister Park Jin and his counterpart Antony Blinken will hold talks in Washington on February 3.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said the two sides “plan to discuss how to strengthen the global strategic alliance and work closely on policies.”
During his visit to the US, Foreign Minister Park Jin also plans to meet senior US officials and leaders of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields. related to space.
Foreign Minister Park Jin’s trip is the first high-level visit by a Seoul official to Washington in 2023.
Thuc Anh-Khanh Van (VNA/Vietnam+)
