The United States and South Korea updated their deterrence agreement against North Korean military threats on Monday for the first time in a decade.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his South Korean counterpart,
Shin Won-sik, in Seoul for the signing amid annual security talks.
“Our deterrence commitment to the ROK (Republic of Korea) remains ironclad. That includes the full range of our nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities,” Austin told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
As examples of that commitment, Austin highlighted recent visits by a nuclear ballistic missile submarine and last month’s landing of a B-52 bomber on the peninsula for the first time in the 21st century.
Shin told reporters North Korea had greatly advanced its nuclear capability since the first signing of the agreement 10 years ago.
In addition to “destabilizing actions” by North Korea, Austin said the two also discussed Chinese and Russian military activities “that undermine a rules-based international order.”
On Sunday, the two defense leaders held a trilateral teleconference with Japan’s new defense minister to ensure the three democracies can work together toward defense and stabilization of the Indo-Pacific region.
About 80,000 U.S. forces are deployed in either Japan or South Korea.
The two leaders said they agreed to boost joint drills, as well as security cooperation with Japan, to be better prepared for a potential North Korean attack.