On the 13th (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is on a tour of Southeast Asia, had a summit meeting with US President Joe Biden at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and held a summit meeting on major economic issues between the two countries, including the North Korean nuclear issue, the ROK-US combined defense position and the US Inflation Reduction Act, as well as regional and regional issues. The president’s office has stated that they discussed world affairs.
At the meeting, President Yoon greeted him for the first time, saying, “It’s good to meet President Biden again here in Phnom Penh in less than two months after London and New York last September.”
He continued, “With President Biden’s visit to Korea in May, the ROK-US alliance has reached a new turning point, and the ROK-US alliance has become the most reliable compass for us as we face many new challenges at the point turning point in international political order.” he did.
President Yoon said, “President Biden’s willingness and efforts to strengthen the ROK-US alliance are giving the Korean people strong confidence.”
The two leaders shared serious concerns about North Korea’s recent unprecedented offensive provocations and agreed to maintain and strengthen the close cooperation between the ROK and the United States and a solid joint defense posture.
They also reiterated that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons in any form, the ROK and the US will respond with overwhelming force using all available means.
President Yoon stressed: “We must demonstrate to North Korea that it cannot achieve anything with nuclear weapons and missiles” and “for this, it is necessary to effectively and drastically strengthen the extended deterrence between South Korea and the United States in line with North Korea advanced nuclear capabilities,” he stressed.
President Yoon also evaluated the close consultations on expanded deterrence between the NSC and the national defense authorities of the two countries, and asked President Biden to continue to pay attention so that he can establish a stronger and more effective extended deterrence system.
In response, President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ strong defense and extended commitment to deterrence against Korea, and suggested that the two sides continue to consult closely in the future on steps to strengthen extended deterrence.
President Yoon said, “The channel for US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) consultations between Korea and the United States is working closely together.”
President Biden said, “Korean companies are major contributors to the US economy in areas such as electric cars and batteries.”
President Yoon said, “As the downward pressure on the world economy is increasing due to global fiscal austerity measures, I look forward to closer economic cooperation between Korea and the United States.”
Also, after explaining Korea’s independent humanitarian strategy, President Yoon said that “ASEAN and the Pacific Islands are very important cooperative partners in our humanitarian strategy.”
He also notified, “I hope that Korea and the United States cooperate closely in cooperation with ASEAN and the Pacific Island countries. To this end, the Korean government has decided to officially participate in the ‘Pacific Island Cooperation Initiative.’
Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) is a Pacific Islands cooperation initiative proposed by the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK (launched last June) and promotes cooperation between countries with similar positions on Pacific Islands The purpose is to coordinate, share best practices and discover cooperation projects.
In response, President Biden assessed our independent Indo-Pacific strategy and expressed the hope that Korea and the United States further strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and welcomed our decision to participate in the “Pacific Islands Cooperation Initiative”. .
The two leaders shared the view that next year, the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, will be another turning point in the development of the alliance.
Meanwhile, President Yoon congratulated President Biden’s niece on the upcoming wedding, and President Biden expressed special gratitude.
