The United States and South Korea will conduct simulation exercises focusing on nuclear threats, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday (January 31st).
Washington and Seoul will conduct
"exercises based on increasingly complex scenarios of nuclear threats to the peninsula
," wrote Lloyd Austin in a column published by the Yonhap news agency.
Lloyd Austin visits Seoul for the third time as Secretary of Defense.
He will meet his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup, as well as President Yoon Suk-yeol.
His visit is intended to deepen cooperation between the two countries, discuss security challenges and reaffirm that
"the broader U.S. deterrence commitment to the Republic of Korea is unwavering
," Lloyd said. Austin.
Military tensions on the South Korean peninsula have risen sharply in 2022, with frequent weapons tests, including of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, running counter to international sanctions.
In addition, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently called for an
"exponential"
increase in Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, and last year called the
North's nuclear power status
"irreversible" .
