Request to Maintain Role in Combined Defense Posture
President Yoon Suk-yeol is meeting with Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 30th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol met with newly appointed U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Samuel Paparo on the morning of the 30th, congratulated him on his appointment, and requested his efforts to strengthen the combined defense posture, the presidential office announced.
Commander Paparo visited Korea as part of his first visit to an Asian country since taking office on the 3rd of this month.
President Yoon highly praised Commander Paparo for his contributions to the defense of the Korean Peninsula during his three-year tenure as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and expressed expectations for his role as Indo-Pacific Commander, given his deep understanding of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
He also urged active contributions and support from the Indo-Pacific Command to maintain a firm combined readiness posture and to establish a "Korea-U.S. integrated extended deterrence" amid North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile development and provocative threats.
Commander Paparo said, "I will actively support the Korea-U.S. alliance and work to further strengthen and develop it at the Indo-Pacific Command level," adding, "We will cooperate more closely with the Korean side to maintain a strong combined defense posture."
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