US, South Korea pledge to ramp up military drills to counter North Korea

The defense chiefs of both the United States and South Korea have pledged to expand military drills and boost nuclear deterrence. The move comes amidst tensions in the region as North Korea continues its nuclear weapons program.

.In a joint news conference with US defense secretary Lloyd Austin in Seoul on Tuesday, South Korean defense minister Lee Jong-sup said that Seoul and Washington have agreed to expand their military drills and boost deterrence. Austin’s visit to South Korea follows Lee’s visit to Washington for talks back in November. Austin also with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol before he is to travel to the Philippines

“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,” said Lee.

Austin said his visit aimed to deepen cooperation on tackling shared security challenges while reaffirming Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to South Korea at a time of flared tensions and provocations from North Korea.

“The United States stands firm in its extended deterrence commitment that includes the full range of US defense capabilities, including our conventional, nuclear, and missile defense capabilities,” said Austin.

During the meeting with Yoon, the South Korean leader stressed the importance of discussions with allies about an effective and powerful system of extended deterrence in order to assure the South Korean people.

“North Korea’s nuclear threats escalate day by day,” said Yoon, according to a statement released by the South Korean presidential office.

North Korea has launched a record number of missiles in 2022. Officials from both South Korea and the US have warned that Pyongyang may be gearing up for its first nuclear test since 2017.

On Monday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to step up its military support for Ukraine during a visit to Seoul, citing that other countries have changed their stance on the war and have since provided weapons. In remarks at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, Stoltenberg thanked South Korea for providing humanitarian aid, but urged for more action, saying that there is an “urgent need” for ammunition.

While South Korea has deals that provided hundreds of tanks, aircraft, and other weapons to Poland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Yoon has said a South Korean law forbids the country from supplying weapons to nations that are currently in conflict.