US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup announced Tuesday in Seoul the strengthening of their military and security cooperation in the face of North Korea’s ambitions, which has nuclear weapons.
The two countries agreed to “expand and enhance the level and breadth“of their joint military exercises in the face of”provocations continues” of Pyongyang, the two representatives explained in a joint statement. Seoul sought to reassure a rather worried public opinion about American commitments in terms of deterrence, after Pyongyang declared its status as a nuclear power “irreversiblein 2022. Military tensions on the peninsula have risen sharply over the past year as North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests, including its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to date. , despite international sanctions.
On December 26, five North Korean drones entered the territory of South Korea, an unprecedented incident in five years that prompted Seoul to send air fighters in response. The strengthening of cooperation between Washington and Seoul is necessary in view of the “changes in the security environment“, estimated Lee Jong-sup in a press conference, mentioning the “North Korea’s recent attempts to bolster its nuclear and missile programs“. The two allies will organize a “simulation exercise” in February to improve their communication, particularly at the level of “deterrence and response options“to the nuclear threats posed by Pyongyang on the peninsula.
