President Moon Jae-in sat down for talks with the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, in Hawaii on Wednesday. 

Moon met the admiral after attending a repatriation ceremony for the remains of South Korean and U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War. 

He told Aquilino that the necessary diplomacy and dialogue for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of permanent peace must be supported by a strong defense, stressing that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command plays a key role in such support. 

Moon then paid tribute to endeavors made by Aquilino and the command's personnel before expressing hope that the command will further boost its combined defense capability. 

Aquilino, on his part, said the South Korea-U.S. alliance is ironclad and that the U.S. military will always do its best for South Korea. 

On the repatriation ceremony, Moon said he highly regards the U.S. government’s efforts to find and repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers around the world. He said the Korean people always remember the sacrifice made by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War.