Yoon, Biden agree to expand joint military exercises

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Yoon Suk-yeol look at each other during their joint press conference at South Korea's presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

Two leaders pledge to deepen alliance in economic security, supply chains, nuclear energy

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to expand the scope and scale of Korea-U.S. joint military exercises to thwart any evolving threat posed by North Korea during their first summit held in Seoul, Saturday.

In addition to discussing security on the Korean Peninsula, the two leaders also agreed to develop the bilateral relationship into a "global comprehensive strategic alliance" by broadening and deepening cooperation in the areas of economic security, global supply chains, nuclear energy and cyber space in a joint statement released after their summit.

"President Biden and I agreed that the sophistication of North Korea's military capabilities, such as missiles and its nuclear program, have posed grave concerns to the security of our two countries," Yoon said during a joint press conference at the presidential office following the summit.

"In response, President Biden reemphasized his commitment to the U.S. government's extended deterrence commitment to South Korea," Yoon added. "In detail, we agreed to begin discussions on expanding our joint military exercises, which are key to our combined defense capability, and to coordinate with each other on deploying U.S. strategic assets and additional measures."

Extended deterrence refers to the ability of U.S. military forces to deter nuclear threats against its allies.

Yoon made the remarks amid North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear weapons threats. Recently, multiple reports suggest that North Korea is ready for a nuclear test and may soon launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The South Korean leader added that he and Biden have discussed action plans for extended deterrence and the deployment of strategic assets including "fighter jets and missiles," and each countries' national security councils will continue consulting with each other regarding this issue. Though Yoon did not elaborate about strategic assets, watchers expect the deployment of long-range bombers such as the B-52H, the B-1B and the B-2 could be included.

"In order to prepare ourselves for a possible nuclear attack from North Korea, there have been discussions that our two countries' combined military exercise should be carried out in various ways," Yoon said.

During the summit, the two leaders agreed to reactivate the high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) at the earliest possible date. The EDSCG is a high-level consultative mechanism created to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea through steadfast deterrence, which last met in January 2018.

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said officials of the two countries will be able to determine what kinds of measures are necessary to prevent North Korea's provocations once they convene the EDSCG.

"It has been inactive for a while, so officials of the two countries had insufficient discussion about possible measures," Kim told reporters after the press conference. "So once it's reactivated and the two sides sit down again for discussions, we will be able to figure out what measures should be taken to deter North Korea."

Door remains open for dialogue

Yoon said the door for dialogue is always open for North Korea.

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"If North Korea takes measures toward denuclearization, we will work closely with the international community to help North Korea and its residents achieve a great deal of improvement in their lives. We will prepare an audacious plan for assistance to the North," he said.

He reiterated South Korea's willingness to provide humanitarian assistance to Pyongyang, urging North Korea to respond to the offer and undertake measures for denuclearization.

While Yoon stressed a stronger deterrence to North Korea's threat, Biden said any potential meeting between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would depend on whether Kim was "sincere."

Regarding North Korea's COVID-19 outbreak, Biden said the U.S. was ready to provide vaccines to the North and China.

"We've offered vaccines, not only to North Korea but to China as well, and we're prepared to do that immediately," he said. "We've got no response."

North Korea reported 220,000 new cases of what it claimed were COVID-19 patients, Friday. A total of 2.45 million North Koreans have been classified as "fever" patients, with 66 deaths so far, since the first COVID-19-related death was reported May 13.

President Yoon Suk-yeol smiles as his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, speaks during their summit at South Korea's presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

Economic security, technology at forefront of alliance

The two leaders also stressed the importance of economic security and technology alliances between the two countries.

"We are living in an era where economic security is national security," Yoon said. "Global supply chains have been destabilized due to the changing global security order and this is directly linked to the livelihoods of our people."

Yoon and Biden promised to strengthen their practical cooperation in semiconductors, secondary batteries, nuclear power, space development, cyber security and other industries, and agreed to launch an economic security dialogue between their respective National Security Councils.

A day earlier, the presidents visited Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, and expressed their intentions to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the chip sector.

Regarding energy security, the two leaders promised the two countries' joint efforts in developing small modular reactors (SMRs), which are widely seen as the next key technology in the global nuclear power market.

In doing so, however, the leaders pledged that they will "develop, use, and advance technologies in line with shared democratic principles and universal values," which is interpreted as an expression aimed at containing China.

"Now a long-standing mission of denuclearizing North Korea as well as the COVID-19 crisis, shifting trade order, supply chain realignment, climate change, democracy in crisis and numerous other new challenges confront our alliance," Yoon said. "These challenges can be tackled only when countries sharing the universal values of a liberal democracy and human rights come together."

Biden also said in the press conference that "the American economy is poised to grow at a faster rate than the Chinese economy for the first time in 45 years," and "it's never a good bet to bet against the United States of America."

In their joint statement, the leaders pledged "to cooperate closely through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), based on the principles of openness, transparency, and inclusiveness," which is widely interpreted as a U.S.-led economic group to counter China despite the South Korean government's continued denial.

"Both leaders agree to work together to develop a comprehensive IPEF that will deepen economic engagement on priority issues, including the digital economy, resilient supply chains, clean energy, and other priorities geared toward promoting sustainable economic growth," the statement read.