U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked on a meeting with South Korean National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han in a tweet published March 6.
"Excellent meeting with ROK National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han on cooperation through our U.S.-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Alliance to address regional and global threats," Blinken wrote. "We discussed working collaboratively to assist Ukraine and bolstering our countries’ economic security."
The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) held the 8th U.S.-ROK Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise (DSC TTX) Feb. 22, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced Feb. 23. The event focused on the possibility of North Korea using nuclear weapons. Both nations discussed their deterrence and response postures to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as potential responses for North Korean nuclear weapon use.
"South Korea and the United States share a long history of cooperation based on shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, which helped the alliance endure for 70 years," South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said in a Feb, 2 interview with the Korea Times. "Celebrating the 70th anniversary, I think the ROK-U.S. alliance should now go beyond solely focusing on bilateral relations between South Korea and the U.S., contributing to the freedom, peace, and prosperity of the world on a regional and global level."
Officials from both the U.S. and South Korea decided to present their findings from the DSC TTX to the U.S.-Korea Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) and Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
Both nations' delegations also visited U.S. nuclear submarine training facilities based in Georgia's Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay to stress the importance of the U.S.' extended deterrence to its allies. The two parties agreed to further strengthen their extended deterrence capabilities and organize additional TTXs in the near future with participation from political, military, and interagency representatives to continue their joint planning and coordination efforts.
