US – Korea expand alliance

At talks in the capital Seoul – South Korea, the two leaders also agreed to expand the alliance to deal with new challenges in the region and around the world. The two presidents of the United States and South Korea said the decades-old alliance between the two countries needed to grow not only to “counter the threat posed by North Korea” but also to help maintain a “free” Indo-Pacific region. free and open” as well as protecting global supply chains.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Mr. Joe Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to defend South Korea with nuclear weapons if necessary. The two sides also agreed to consider expanding joint military exercises. The scale of this operation has been scaled back in recent years to ease tensions with North Korea. In addition, according to Reuters news agency, the US has pledged to deploy “strategic assets”, often including long-range bombers, missile submarines or aircraft carriers, if necessary.

US President Joe Biden (left) and his Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-youl hold a joint press conference in Seoul, South Korea on May 21 Photo: REUTERS

At a joint press conference after the talks, Joe Biden emphasized his readiness to meet Kim Jong-un if the North Korean leader is interested in serious negotiations. The US leader said that Washington has offered to provide a vaccine to help Pyongyang deal with the Covid-19 epidemic, but has not yet received a response.

Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation (USA), said that Joe Biden’s trip helped the US reaffirm the importance of alliances in dealing with “the growing threat from China”. Korea and the Republic of Korea”, as well as urging both South Korea and Japan to assume a greater security role in the region. According to Klingner, this trip also highlights the importance of Asia to US strategic interests. After visiting Korea, Mr. Joe Biden will visit Japan from May 22.