US President Joe Biden said Saturday that the 70-year alliance between the United States and South Korea aims to contain its northern neighbor, noting that the alliance was built on the basis of resisting forceful border changes and working together. to contain North Korea and keep the Indo-Pacific free and open.
Biden made the announcement during a summit with new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who said the shift in trade and supply chains was another reason for the alliance’s development. Biden’s comments came as part of his Asian tour, which he launched yesterday in Seoul.
President Biden is committed to strengthening relations with South Korea and its new leader as the two sides hold consultations on how best to counter North Korea’s nuclear threat at a time when there is little hope for real diplomacy in this regard.
The division of the Korean Peninsula after World War II led to the formation of two radically different states.
In South Korea, Biden visited factories that make computer chips and next-generation cars in a democracy and negotiated greater cooperation. But the North has experienced a deadly coronavirus outbreak in a largely vulnerable autocracy that could better capture the attention of the world by using its nuclear capability.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden was en route to South Korea, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States had agreed with Seoul and Tokyo on how to respond if North Korea conducted a nuclear test or missile attack during Biden’s visit. . before the area or after So little.
Earlier this week, Sullivan also spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, urging Beijing to use its influence to convince North Korea to stop testing.
“China should consider taking all possible steps to reduce the chance of provocative actions,” Sullivan said.
As part of a five-day visit to Asia, Biden will focus Saturday on his relationship with Yoon, who took office more than a week ago. One of the tasks is to convince South Korea of the US commitment to stand up to Kim Jong-un in North Korea.
There is concern in Seoul that Washington is returning to the Obama administration’s “strategic patience” policy of ignoring North Korea until it takes denuclearization seriously. arsenal.
