Yoon calls for effective extended deterrence during meeting with U.S. defense chief
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before their talks at the presidential office in Seoul on Jan. 31, in this photo released by Yoon's office. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday in Seoul and discussed ways to beef up security ties and extended deterrence against North Korea, the presidential office said.
Austin arrived in Seoul the previous day on a regional swing that will also take him to the Philippines. Earlier Tuesday, he held talks with Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup.
During the meeting at the presidential office, Yoon called for U.S. commitment of an "effective and strong" extended deterrence to cope with North Korea's growing nuclear threats.
"We ask for consultations between South Korea and the United States to come up with an effective and strong extended deterrence system that can dispel South Korean people's concern about North Korea's evolving nuclear threats," Yoon was quoted as saying by presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
Yoon also emphasized the need for effective Seoul-Washington joint drills, in light of the changing environment, for defense of the peninsula. (Yonhap)