Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se (left) holds talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Seoul on Feb. 3 to discuss ways to further enhance the Korea-U.S. alliance.
“You can count on our defense pledge to Korea 100%”
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis affirmed the U.S.’ commitment to Korea during talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se on Feb. 3 in Seoul. “The Seoul-Washington alliance is as rock-solid as it’s ever been, and the U.S. government has been and will be with Korea,” he said.
Both sides labeled North Korea’s rapidly growing nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, not only a threat to Korea and to the U.S., but also a direct threat to the international community as a whole. “We must continue to strengthen our solid defense posture against the North,” they said.
Minister Yun stated that, “North Korean issues should be dealt with in line with the Trump administration’s ‘peace through strength’ policies. It’s imperative that our military deterrence, as well as diplomatic pressure on the North, should be further beefed up under the new Trump administration.”
They emphasized with a single voice that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in Korea is a move solely to respond more effectively to provocations from Pyongyang. “Our governments will push ahead with the move in a way so as to not harm any other countries’ interests,” they reaffirmed.
Minister Yun stressed that the governments should take advantage of any possible measure to deal with threats by the North under the always close mutual assistance that exists between diplomatic and defense authorities in both countries. In this regard, the minister said that the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) launched jointly by Seoul and Washington in December last year will be of great help.
Finally, the U.S. defense secretary voiced the need for a more comprehensive approach toward North Korean threats, by means of not only military might, but also diplomacy and economics. He agreed that the diplomacy-and-defense strategy has been effective, stressing that the governments should ramp up efforts to boost such partnerships between diplomatic and defense bodies.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
jiae5853@korea.kr
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (left) is greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se during a meeting in Seoul on Feb. 3.
