President Moon Jae-in has credited the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets to the Korean Peninsula for strongly and effectively deterring North Korea’s provocations.

During a meeting Friday with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis at the presidential office in Seoul, Moon thanked the American government for easing the South Korean public's anxiety about national security.

Mattis, for his part, underscored the close alliance between South Korea and the U.S., noting how it was forged through difficult battles during the Korean War.

Other officials who attended the meeting include Defense Minister Song Young-moo, National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul Marc Knapper and Sally Donnelly, a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Defense. 

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