Defense chiefs of S. Korea, U.S. held talks on Friday
- 5 years ago
에스퍼, 한미국방장관 회담서 "한미동맹은 철통…평화안보 핵심축"
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is in South Korea as part of a five-nation trip to the Asia-Pacific region.
And he met this morning with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper reaffirmed that the South Korea, U.S. alliance is "iron clad" and serves as the "linchpin" of peace and security both on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. He said that the two countries share the same vision of a peaceful Korean peninsula as well as a free, open Indo-Pacific region.
Esper added Washington is willing to engage diplomatically with Pyeongyang to make progress on all the commitments made in the Singapore joint statement to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.
But he added that United Nations sanctions will be strictly enforced until North Korea participates with U.S. allies in achieving the complete, verifiable, irreversible path of denuclearization.
Esper also wanted to acknowledge the progress made towards the conditions-based transition of the wartime operational control of the combined forces command from a U.S. commander to a South Korean commander.
He said this shows the strength and trust between the allies that no adversaries can match.
The two countries kicked off a preliminary session on Monday... in the run-up to their summertime command post combined exercise... meant to test South Korea's initial operational capability for the envisioned OPCON transfer.
Meanwhile, Jeong said Esper's visit is meaningful regarding the security situation South Korea currently faces... citing the entry of Chinese and Russian aircrafts into Korea's air defense identification zone... as well as a Russian aircraft trespassing into South Korean airspace.
Jeong also said that the series of firings of short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea are not helping in easing military tensions on the peninsula... and added Tokyo's economic retaliatory measures are hurting the three-way security alliance of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is in South Korea as part of a five-nation trip to the Asia-Pacific region.
And he met this morning with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper reaffirmed that the South Korea, U.S. alliance is "iron clad" and serves as the "linchpin" of peace and security both on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. He said that the two countries share the same vision of a peaceful Korean peninsula as well as a free, open Indo-Pacific region.
Esper added Washington is willing to engage diplomatically with Pyeongyang to make progress on all the commitments made in the Singapore joint statement to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.
But he added that United Nations sanctions will be strictly enforced until North Korea participates with U.S. allies in achieving the complete, verifiable, irreversible path of denuclearization.
Esper also wanted to acknowledge the progress made towards the conditions-based transition of the wartime operational control of the combined forces command from a U.S. commander to a South Korean commander.
He said this shows the strength and trust between the allies that no adversaries can match.
The two countries kicked off a preliminary session on Monday... in the run-up to their summertime command post combined exercise... meant to test South Korea's initial operational capability for the envisioned OPCON transfer.
Meanwhile, Jeong said Esper's visit is meaningful regarding the security situation South Korea currently faces... citing the entry of Chinese and Russian aircrafts into Korea's air defense identification zone... as well as a Russian aircraft trespassing into South Korean airspace.
Jeong also said that the series of firings of short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea are not helping in easing military tensions on the peninsula... and added Tokyo's economic retaliatory measures are hurting the three-way security alliance of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.