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| ▲ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 11, 2023. (Yonhap) |
Pentagon chief-Seoul visit
Pentagon chief to visit S. Korea this month for annual defense ministerial talks
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin plans to visit Seoul this month for annual bilateral defense ministerial talks and other events, where he will highlight America's "ironclad" security commitment to South Korea, his office said Thursday.
Austin is set to embark on a three-nation trip, which includes stops in India and Indonesia, next week, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Seoul next week as part of his multination trip.
Their planned trip here comes as Washington is striving to maintain its strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region, which it has cast as the "epicenter" of geopolitics, despite Russia's protracted war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
During his stay in Seoul, the Pentagon chief will attend the Security Consultative Meeting with his new South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, and meet other senior South Korean officials, according to the Department of Defense.
In addition, he will attend an inaugural defense ministerial meeting, involving the member states of U.N. Command (UNC), a U.S.-led multinational force established to support South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. UNC enforces the Armistice Agreement that halted the fighting in the Korean War.
"He will also meet with U.S. military commanders and service members on the Korean Peninsula, reaffirming the ironclad U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the ROK," the Pentagon said in a press release, using the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
Austin also plans to mark Veterans Day with American service members.
Before visiting Seoul, Austin will travel to India to meet his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, and attend a "two plus two" ministerial meeting, where Blinken will also be present.
In Jakarta, the last leg of his trip, Austin will attend defense ministerial talks, involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and other meetings as he seeks to highlight the U.S.' commitment to a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said.
"The secretary's fourth trip to the Indo-Pacific this year -- and his ninth since becoming Secretary of Defense -- comes as the United States, along with U.S. allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific, continue to deliver historic momentum toward a shared regional vision for peace, stability, and prosperity," it added.
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