Defence Minister Suh Wook on Thursday said Korea and U.S. have reaffirmed their commitment to a strong alliance and a firm combined defence posture.
The Defence Ministry said Suh said U.S. Secretary of Defence, Mark Esper, made the commitment via telephone.
The call marked the first talks between the two since Suh took office as defence minister in September.
“The two ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the ironclad South Korea-U.S. alliance and closely cooperating on defence issues,’’ Esper said.
Esper congratulated Suh on his inauguration and expressed expectations for their Security Consultative Meeting slated to take place in Washington on Wednesday.
The planned visit would be Suh’s first overseas trip as South Korea’s defence chief and it would also be the first time for a South Korean defence minister to visit a foreign country since February, due to the new coronavirus.
In Washington, the Pentagon released a similar readout, saying the two sides “pledged to continue cooperation and to deepen and develop the ROK-U.S. Alliance in a future-oriented and mutually reinforcing manner’’. (Yonhap/NAN)
