SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – United States President Joe Biden and South Korean President Eun Suk -yol said after a meeting Saturday that they will discuss expanded joint military exercises to stop North Korea’s nuclear threat in a moment. where there is no hope. of true diplomacy. Case.
The statement shows a change in the direction of both leaders from their predecessors: Former US President Donald Trump called for the cancellation of the exercise and expressed love for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea’s last president, Moon Jae-in, remained loyal to Kim until the end of the dialogue period, despite repeated rejection from the North.
Biden said the cooperation between the United States and South Korea demonstrates “our willingness to face all threats together.”
North Korea, which has defended its nuclear weapons and missile development as a necessary deterrent to U.S. threats, could angrily respond in a statement on Saturday. He has long described joint-military exercises as evidence of aggression, although the Allies have described the exercises as defensive.
Biden and Yoon confirmed at a joint press conference that their common goal is the complete denuclearization of North Korea. The United States and South Korea said in a joint statement that they had pledged to “maintain a policy based on international order” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The statement is likely to lay the groundwork for how the United States and its allies will deal with any challenge to North Korea.
However, Biden also reiterated his vaccine offer to North Korea because the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in that country, including an offer by China if it is more acceptable in North Korea. When asked if he was willing to meet with Kim Jong Un, Biden said it depended on whether the North Korean leader was “sincere” and “serious”.
“Yes, we offer vaccines, not only in North Korea, but also in China,” Biden said. “We are ready to do it right away. We received no response. “
The division of the Korean Peninsula after World War II resulted in two radically different countries. In South Korea, Biden is investigating the next generation of computer chips and car factories in a democratic country and is negotiating for more cooperation. But in the north, there is a deadly corovirus outbreak in an unvaccinated autocracy that could get the world’s attention by increasing its nuclear capabilities.
Speaking to reporters when Biden flew to South Korea, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States was working with Seoul and Tokyo on how the North would respond to a nuclear test or missile attack, while Biden was there. In the region or soon. Sullivan also spoke with his Chinese counterpart last week, urging Beijing to use its influence to persuade the North to stop the trial.
On a five -day visit to Asia, Biden spent Saturday building a relationship with Yoon, who took office last week.
On Saturday, the president of the United States laid a wreath at Seoul National Cemetery, wore white gloves and looked sad, also burned incense and then signed a guest book. Biden then greeted Yun for a nearly two -hour meeting at the People’s House, followed by a press conference. The leaders ended the day with a dinner at the Korean National Museum.
Yoon greeted Biden with a toast, mentioning that the alliance was “bloody on the battlefield of the Korean War.” He said the partnership would go beyond security in Korea and include the development of innovative technologies and a global strategic partnership, so he provoked Biden’s laughter by quoting Irish poet William Butler Yates.
Biden responded with toast that the alliance would “thrive in the coming decades.” The two men finished the toasts with the military motto “Let’s go together”.
In the talks, both leaders stressed economic security and growing business ties as two supporters of the Korean industry – Samsung and Hyundai – opened major factories in the United States.
Yoon, a political novice with no foreign policy experience, began negotiations with Biden less than two weeks after sitting down to showcase his expertise on the world stage. The President of the United States also spoke by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Saturday. Biden thanked him for the close cooperation, the White House said.
Biden faces growing resentment over inflation in the United States that is more than a 40-year high, but his administration sees a clear economic victory in competing with China for influence in the Pacific. According to Bloomberg Economics Analysis, the U.S. economy will grow faster than China’s this year, for the first time since 1976, a prediction Biden made at a news conference.
The United States has fought to unite an Asian coalition that could balance China’s growing power and abandon a trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership following internal political opposition.
Biden dismissed the issue of continuing the deal, but cited the potential for closer ties in the region beyond traditional allies such as South Korea and Japan.
“Things have changed,” he said. “There is a sense of closer cooperation between democracies in the Pacific. “Not only in the military, but also in economics and politics”.
Biden did not explicitly mention the need to fight China in his statements, but Beijing offered its counter-report on Saturday.
“We hope the United States will use your words to work with countries in the region to promote unity and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, rather than creating divisions and conflicts,” China spokesman Liu Xiaoming said. on Twitter. for Korea.
In the early part of the administration, many White House officials thought that Kim’s nuclear ambitions would be the most troubling challenge facing the administration and that the North Korean leader’s goal was to test Biden’s skills in his first day.
In the first 14 months of the Biden administration, Pyongyang halted missile tests while ignoring the administration’s attempts, hoping to resume negotiations through a second method, which could lead to the denuclearization of the North in exchange for easing sanctions.
But the silence did not last long. North Korea tested 16 separate missiles this year, including in March, when its first flight since 2017, an ICBM, showed potential range covering the entire continent of the United States.
The Biden administration is urging China to restrict North Korea to any missile or nuclear test. Speaking to Air Force One, Sullivan said Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping could have a phone conversation in the coming weeks.
Although Biden clarified that he sees China as the biggest competitor in the United States economy and national security, he said it is important to keep the lines of communication open so that the two powers can work together on issues related to each other. . North Korea is probably the highest on this list.
White House officials said Biden would not visit the demilitarized zone that separates the Korean peninsula on his trip. Instead, Biden will visit the combat operations room of the Air Operations Center at Osan Air Base south of Seoul on Sunday.
Associated Press authors Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Chris Megerian and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.