US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, Stressed this Wednesday at the start A meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Wook, in which he said that the alliance between the two countries is “more important than ever” given the situation represented by North Korea..

Austin landed on Wednesday at Air Force Base in Osan (south of Seoul) From Tokyo, to a meeting in the South Korean capital with his counterpart, according to the agency Yonhap.

And the chief of the Pentagon insisted at the start of the meeting The alliance between the two countries is more important than ever because they face “unprecedented challenges” from North Korea as well as from China.

Our commitment to the alliance of the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea’s official name) remains protected.Austin, who became the first official in the administration of US President Joe Biden to visit South Korea, added that he will stay until Friday before leaving for India.

Austen’s words seem to support this idea Washington wants to amend and strengthen the coalition that former President Donald Trump harmed By asking him to renegotiate the FTA or urging Seoul to pay up to five times more for US forces to remain on their soil.

It is believed that the new strategy of the White House and its regional allies to address the North Korean issue is the same One of the main topics of a visit to Austin.

This Wednesday, the US Secretary of State is scheduled to arrive in South Korea from Japan. Anthony Blinken, who will meet with the head of South Korean diplomacy, Chung Eui-young.

Blinken and Austin will celebrate “2 + 2” with Chung and Wook on Thursday.Where plans to deal with the North Korean nuclear program and peace on the peninsula will take center stage.

The Biden government has yet to announce its strategy for dealing with Pyongyang.That announced it in January It will test new weapons if Washington does not find a new formula for returning to the table for dialogue and negotiating a peace and disarmament process.

The Austin and Blinken trip also coincides with a message released on Tuesday Kim Yoo YoungNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, in which They condemned the joint exercises between Seoul and Washington and hinted to restore the aforementioned weapons tests.

(With information from EFE)

Read on: