The top leaders of Seoul and Washington have reaffirmed the U.S.’ commitment to strengthening extended deterrence against growing North Korean threats and agreed to continue closely discussing related measures.
Seoul’s presidential office said Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden reached the agreements during their summit in Cambodia on Sunday on the sidelines of a host of multilateral summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN).
During the 50-minute bilateral summit, Yoon and Biden shared serious concerns over the North’s missile provocations and agreed to maintain and strengthen watertight coordination and joint defense posture.
They also reaffirmed that if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons in any form, the two allies will respond by mobilizing every available means and with overwhelming force, the presidential office said.
President Yoon said that the North should realize it will achieve nothing with nuclear weapons and missiles, emphasizing the need to practically and substantially strengthen extended deterrence relative to the regime’s advanced nuclear capability.
The White House said President Biden condemned the North’s recent missile provocations, and reaffirmed the U.S.’ extended deterrence commitment to South Korea involving the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense.
Biden also stressed the U.S.’ commitment to identifying additional steps to further reinforce deterrence in the face of the North’s nuclear threats, the White House said.
Also on the agenda was the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and measures to address Seoul's concerns about the law excluding electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax incentives.
According to the presidential office, President Yoon assessed that President Biden was sincerely willing to discuss the legislation, mentioning Biden’s letter delivered in October, while Biden said the significant contributions of South Korean companies to the U.S. economy should be taken into account in the implementation of the law.
Biden also welcomed Yoon’s Indo-Pacific strategy unveiled last week, the White House said, adding that the two leaders discussed the importance of strengthening cooperation throughout the region.
The White House said the two presidents also discussed joint efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and measures to hold Russia accountable for its war on Ukraine.
Yoon and Biden, meanwhile, agreed to meet again in Washington next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and hold in-depth discussions on the alliance's further development.