US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Saturday after their meeting that they will consider expanding military exercises between their countries to deter North Korea's nuclear threat given little expectation of a real diplomacy on the matter.
The announcement reflects a change of course by both leaders from their predecessors: Previous US President Donald Trump had considered scrapping the exercises and expressed affection for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
And the last South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, remained committed to dialogue with Kim until the end of his term despite being repeatedly rebuffed by the North.
Biden said the cooperation between the US and South Korea shows their "willingness to face all threats together."
The statement could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has defended its development of nuclear weapons and missiles in the face of perceived threats from Washington.
In addition, he has long described military exercises between the United States and South Korea as rehearsals for an invasion, although both allies have said that these exercises are defensive in nature.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and US President Joe Biden on Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Seoul, South Korea.
Song Kyung-Seok / AP
Biden and Yoon stated at a joint news conference that their shared goal is
the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
The United States and South Korea added in a statement that they were committed to a
"rules-based international order"
following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
[Secret Service Agents Investigated for Violent Assault on Man During Biden's Visit to South Korea]
Biden also reiterated his proposal to
send vaccines to North Korea,
where the virus is spreading at a dangerously fast rate.
He also noted that he is willing to meet with Kim Jong-Un on the condition that the North Korean ruler is
"sincere and "serious"
.
“Yes, we have offered vaccines, not only to North Korea, but to China as well,” Biden said, “we are ready to do it immediately.
We have not received a response
. "
In North Korea there is an outbreak of coronavirus that has taken lives in an autocracy whose majority of the population is not vaccinated.
North Korea fires an unidentified projectile off the east coast of the peninsula
Jan. 5, 202200:21
The division of the Korean peninsula after World War II caused the emergence of two radically different countries.
In South Korea, a democratic country, Biden decided to visit microprocessor and next-generation car factories and the talks between the two countries seek to increase cooperation.
[Federal Judge Fears North Korea Will Kill Ex-US Marine If Extradited to Spain]
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden traveled to South Korea, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States has coordinated with Seoul and Tokyo on how they will respond if the North conducts a nuclear test or missile attack during or shortly after Biden's tour of the region.
Kim Jong Un draws attention to his physical appearance during a military parade
Sept.
9, 202100:39
Sullivan also had talks with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, earlier in the week and called on Beijing to use its influence to persuade the North to end its tests.
As part of his five-day tour of Asia, Biden spent Saturday developing his relationship with Yoon, who became president of South Korea more than two weeks ago.
[North Korea fires a ballistic missile from a submarine. It's the second release in a week]
nuclear threat
Senior administration officials have said that North Korea may test an
ICBM
or even a
nuclear device
during or shortly after Biden's trip.
North Korea has tested missiles on 16 separate occasions this year, including in March, when it launched its first ICBM since 2017.
The United States has been preparing a response to this possibility, which could include
strengthening its military presence in the region,
officials told NBC News.
Biden will visit US troops stationed in South Korea on Sunday, before traveling to Tokyo, where he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
There he will also meet with the leaders of Australia and India.