US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that the United States and South Korea would hold an exercise to strengthen deterrence against nuclear threats.
Austin said in an article titled “The Alliance Is Ready” published by Yonhap News Agency that Washington and Seoul will hold tabletop exercises that will discuss “complex scenarios centered on nuclear threats on the Korean Peninsula.”
Austin will visit Seoul for the third time as defense minister and is expected to meet his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sub and President Yun Seok-yul.
The visit is aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries and discussing security challenges, as well as reassuring adversaries that “if you challenge one of us, you are challenging the US-ROK alliance as a whole.”
Military tensions on the Korean peninsula rose sharply last year after North Korea carried out a series of missile tests in violation of sanctions, including the launch of an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also recently called for a “massive” increase in Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, saying last year there was “no turning back” for his country as a nuclear power.
Source: EuroNews
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