US defense chief calls on Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation

U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin speaks during his first in-person meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has called for a trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan, to counter regional challenges posed by China and North Korea.

The U.S. defense chief emphasized the importance of the three-way cooperation for regional security in Northeast Asia, during his first in-person meeting with South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook at the defense ministry in Seoul, Wednesday, the first day of his visit here together with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Noting it was his first visit to South Korea since the launch of the Joe Biden administration in late January, Austin said his visit was to “reaffirm the United States' commitment to defense of the Republic of Korea” (ROK), as the Biden administration has stressed its commitment to reinvigorating its alliances in Asia.

The U.S. defense chief said the U.S.-South Korea alliance has become more important due to “the unprecedented challenges posed by both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and China.” The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

“Secretary Austin said, to counter these regional challenges, security cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan is important, saying this requires improved relations between South Korea and Japan,” a ministry official said after the meeting.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been at their worst level in recent years, mainly after Japan imposed export controls on South Korea in apparent retaliation to a 2018 South Korean court ruling that ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

“The ROK is also a critical partner of our shared priorities in the region. A principle among them is upholding the rules-based international order. You have become the key provider of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. For that we're grateful,” Austin said.

U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, left, and South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook pose before their first in-person meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Regarding the matter, Suh replied that the South Korean government's New Southern Policy shares common goals with Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy in that they both seek to establish the rules-based international order, according to the official.

The defense chiefs also reaffirmed principles of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, while evaluating that the combined military exercise between the allies conducted earlier the month was “successful,” according to the ministry official.

Austin and Blinken had made a three-day visit to Tokyo to meet their Japanese counterparts before coming to Seoul. They are set to attend the initialing ceremony of the new Special Measures Agreement at the foreign ministry here, Thursday, following settlement between negotiation teams of Seoul and Washington earlier this month over South Korea's share of the costs for the upkeep of U.S. troops here.