South Korean President Yoon has urged US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to maintain a ‘combined defense posture’ capable of deterring ‘ surprise assaults matching Hamas-style tactics.’
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reportedly advised US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that both countries should be prepared for “Hamas-style” North Korean attacks in the region.
Yoon issued the warning after inviting Austin and US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to the presidential palace in Seoul for a dinner meeting, according to Yonhap News Agency. According to the outlet, Yoon called for “a vigilant South Korea-US combined defense posture capable of promptly and decisively retaliating against any provocations from North Korea, including surprise attacks resembling Hamas-style tactics due to its miscalculation.”
Yoon claims that the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Ukraine-Russia conflict are both directly and indirectly related to North Korea. According to Yonhap News Agency, Austin reassured Yoon that President Biden is committed to further strengthening the US-South Korean military alliance, as both allies are set to meet on Monday to discuss a variety of security issues, including ways to support Washington’s extended deterrence commitment against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats.
Austin attended a ceremony honoring veterans from both countries at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul after meeting with South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik and Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense headquarters earlier Sunday.
“It is impressive to see our troops deployed and working together around the world,” he remarked at the ceremony. “The United States military is the most powerful military in the world, and we absolutely take pride in our relationship with our Korean counterparts.”
After the discussions on Sunday, U.S. defense sources stated that Austin, along with his counterparts from South Korea and Japan, had agreed on a system that would enable the sharing of real-time missile warning data, thereby enhancing each nation’s capacity to track missiles fired by North Korea. By the end of December, that mechanism is expected to operate entirely.
The military ministers also urged a multi-year trilateral exercise plan that is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The meeting in Austin “also reaffirmed during the talks the United States’ steadfast alliance with both countries and the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence backed by the full range of its capabilities,” according to the Defense Department.
Before leaving for his last stop in Indonesia, Austin will meet with his colleagues from South Korea and Japan, attend the United Nations Command’s maiden gathering of defense ministers from member states, and attend the 55th annual Security Consultative gathering in Seoul.
According to the State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Yoon and other leaders of South Korea on Thursday to discuss the growing threat presented by North Korea and its purported supply of military hardware and ammunition to Russia to aid in its conflict against Ukraine.
They also discussed how crucial it is for the United States and South Korea to work together to address global issues, including the Middle East’s instability and China’s aggression.
Referring to North Korea by its official name, the State Department described Blinken’s meeting with Yoon as “they shared concerns about the DPRK’s provocations in the region and strongly condemned the provision of military equipment and munitions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation for use in its war against Ukraine.” According to the State Department, the Blinken-Yoon meeting also addressed strengthening ties between South Korea and Japan and the significance of three-way cooperation between Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul.
