South Korea-US Military Chiefs Talk... "Alliance Strong Regardless of Politics"

Acting Director Kim Seon-ho Reviews ROK-US Alliance and Security Posture

The heads of the South Korean and U.S. military authorities checked the military readiness, which had raised concerns due to the aftermath of martial law, and repeatedly confirmed that the ROK-U.S. alliance remains strong.

Kim Seon-ho, Acting Minister of National Defense, is giving an emergency briefing on the martial law situation at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 20th, Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho held a coordination call with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to assess the recent security situation on the Korean Peninsula. Both sides discussed current issues such as North Korea policy coordination and confirmed that the ROK-U.S. alliance remains steadfast regardless of changes in the security environment or domestic political circumstances.

Acting Minister Kim expressed gratitude for the U.S. government's firm support for the strong ROK-U.S. alliance despite the turbulent political situation. Secretary Austin emphasized the United States' ironclad commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula and stated that they will continue to closely cooperate to maintain the strong ROK-U.S. alliance.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that the South Korean and U.S. military authorities recently assessed North Korea's movements and agreed to maintain a combined defense posture under ROK-U.S. coordination to be able to respond immediately to any provocations by North Korea. Furthermore, they reaffirmed their commitment to steadily advancing alliance issues, including strengthening ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation based on the ROK-U.S. alliance and enhancing extended deterrence cooperation through the ROK-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).

Meanwhile, Acting Minister Kim will attend the change of command ceremony of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command held this afternoon at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Taking this opportunity, he plans to meet with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Samuel Paparo.