In light of the sharply increasing tensions with North Korea, the United States of America and South Korea have pledged to increase the scope and intensity of their joint military exercises as well as strengthen their plans for nuclear deterrence.
More than two months after their annual talks in Washington in November, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin met with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup on Tuesday in Seoul.
During his time in Seoul, he will meet with South Korean President Yun Suk-yol before departing for the Philippines.
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The two officials said in a joint statement that they agreed to increase intelligence sharing and joint planning between the two sides.
Additionally, they promised to deploy more US aircraft carriers and bombers for “level and scale” joint military exercises this year.
As evidence of their hostility, North Korea has repeatedly criticized the joint exercise between Washington and Seoul.
The trip, according to the head of the Pentagon, was meant to strengthen ties with the most important ally in Asia and to reaffirm the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to strengthening deterrence against South Korea at a time of rising tensions.
According to the state news agency Yonhap, Austin stated that the United States and the Republic of Korea are taking clear and significant steps to modernize and strengthen their alliance.
Added he: As a result, our adversaries and rivals are aware that if they challenge one of us, they will also challenge the entire alliance between North Korea and the United States.
Austin stated that the exercise is consistent with their discussions to expand activities and develop mechanisms for deterrence on the peninsula and in the region, while Lee stated that the two nations would hold a tabletop nuclear exercise in February on the subject of North Korea’s nuclear strikes.
This year, military tensions have skyrocketed on the Korean Peninsula. With South Korean and Japanese forces in the region, the United States has resumed extensive land, sea, and air war games and pledged to consider all options to combat the North Korean threat.
US military exercises with South Korea and Japan, according to North Korea, are “provocative actions” aimed at aggression.
Despite the fact that the country is subject to severe sanctions from both the United States and the United Nations Security Council for its nuclear and missile programs, it has nonetheless developed its military capabilities as a means of preventing hostile Western actions.
According to al-Jazeera, North Korea emphasized that it will respond to the adversaries’ joint military exercises by holding its own exercises and developing a variety of weapons, including long-range weapons, and that it will not tolerate the continuation of American-led war games in the region.
