US Defense Secretary Austin Cancels South Korea Visit... Only Visits Japan
All Scheduled Meetings with Defense Export Discussion Countries Also Canceled
President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law is shaking not only the South Korea-US alliance but also defense industry exports. With the US Secretary of Defense canceling his visit to South Korea, it has become impossible to discuss the urgent security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Patrick Ryder, spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, said at a regular briefing on the 5th (local time), "Secretary Austin plans to visit Tokyo, Japan for several days," adding, "This visit marks his 13th trip to the Indo-Pacific region, continuing historic efforts to strengthen alliances and partnerships and advance a shared vision for peace, security, and prosperity in the region."
The US Secretary of Defense typically visits both South Korea and Japan when traveling to the Northeast Asia region. It is unusual that South Korea was excluded during this visit. The US government appears to have judged that even if the visit to South Korea proceeded as planned, it would not be a situation conducive to diplomatic dialogue. This is likely to be Secretary Austin's last trip to Asia, as his term will end when the Donald Trump administration takes office on January 20 next year.
There have also been setbacks in the defense industry. Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, who visited South Korea on the 3rd for a summit, was scheduled to visit Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, Gyeongnam on the 4th. However, with the declaration of martial law, President Japarov canceled all his schedules and returned to Kyrgyzstan. The South Korea-Kazakhstan defense ministers' meeting scheduled for the 5th to discuss defense exports was also canceled.
A defense industry official said, "There are many opportunities to discuss defense exports in the Middle East and Europe toward the end of the year, but the atmosphere is to cancel schedules. This has dealt a blow to the negotiation power we had built up so far."
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