The top defense officials of South Korea and the US have agreed to expand the countries' upcoming joint military exercise and to restart their strategic dialogue on extended deterrence at an early date, Report informs referring to Yonhap.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also reaffirmed US commitment to the defense of South Korea in his bilateral meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup here, according to the South Korean defense ministry.
The decision to expand the military exercise comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lashed out at the allied countries for holding such drills.
"The two ministers agreed to combine their countries' joint military exercise in the second half of 2022 with (South Korea's) government exercise (Ulchi civil contingency exercise) and continue strengthening the allies' deterrence posture, including the ballistic missile defense system and US strategic assets deployed on the Korean Peninsula," Seoul's defense ministry said in a press release.
"The two ministers agreed the security condition on the Korean Peninsula was very serious due to North Korea's continued provocations, and emphasized that the South Korea-US alliance will only solidify in the face of North Korea's provocations," it added.