IRIA News

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in South Korea and met South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup on January 31, 2023. Austin is on a trip to increase military partnerships in Asia as he visits South Korea and the Philippines.

During his meeting with his South Korean counterpart, the Pentagon chief followed up on the U.S.-South Korean annual security talks in Washington in November last year. This was the fourth meeting between the two leaders and the first meeting of 2023, which marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance.

Austin said his trip aimed to deepen cooperation on tackling shared security challenges and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to South Korea as “ironclad” at a time of heightened tension and provocation.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the defense leaders of the U.S. and South Korea “strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continued provocations and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including its missile launches and recent drone incursions.”

Austin told in a press conference after meeting with the South Korean defense minister that “The United States stands firm in its extended deterrence commitment that includes the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including our conventional, nuclear, and missile defense capabilities.”

It was great seeing my 🇰🇷 ROK counterpart, Minister Lee Jong-Sup to discuss our common commitment to security in the region & around the world. The U.S. will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the ROK, rooted in our shared values of democracy, freedom, & the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/3a8DpxoVVP

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) January 31, 2023

South Korean Defense Minister Lee said at a joint news conference that “In order to realize peace through strength on the Korean peninsula, we pledged to expand the scale and elevate the levels of the combined exercises and training.” The latest meeting of the two came as the U.S. pushes to bolster confidence in American extended deterrence, and its military capability, especially nuclear forces, to deter attacks on its allies.

Austin and Lee reaffirmed their commitment to carry out more joint military drills in the coming months. Lee announced that the two countries would hold a nuclear tabletop exercise in February. The exercise would be focused on the scenario of North Korean nuclear attacks, as well as improving joint nuclear planning and implementation and boosting information sharing. Austin commented that the table-top exercises would ensure that the allies saw “eye-to-eye” in their response to North Korea.

During his visit, Defense Secretary Austin also met with U.S. Marines from the U.S. Embassy in South Korea. Austin wrote on his Twitter, “I commend the job they [U.S. Marines] do to safeguard our Embassy. Your presence here is so important to our alliance and I appreciate your hard work and dedication.”

Defense Secretary Austin also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-year before flying to the Philippines. During the meeting at the presidential office, Yoon called for U.S. commitment to an “effective and strong” extended deterrence to cope with North Korea’s growing nuclear threats.

According to a statement released by the South Korean Presidential office, Yoon said that “North Korea’s nuclear threats continue to escalate day by day.” Officials from both the United States and South Korea have warned that Pyongyang could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017.

Despite being occupied by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the European security crisis, the U.S. Department of Defense sees the Indo-Pacific region as one of its top priorities. Austin is on his sixth trip to the Indo-Pacific since taking charge of the office. His last trip to the Indo-Pacific region came in November 2022 when he met with representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, During the trip, Austin will focus on capabilities and interoperability with the treaty allies. Specifically focusing on the security environment of the region as it sees a sharp uptick in China’s operational behavior in the region.