South Korea's top diplomat on Wednesday met with the head of a United States' military unit in charge of overseeing Washington's nuclear arsenal to discuss the U.S. extended deterrence against North Korean missile and nuclear threats, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
In the meeting held in Seoul, Foreign Minister Park Jin and Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, the visiting chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, shared concerns over the escalation and explicit display of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, including the recent launch of a ballistic missile under the pretext of a space launch vehicle.
The two sides agreed on the importance of bilateral cooperation in strengthening Washington's extended deterrence against such threats and reviewed latest developments in two-way discussions regarding the issue.
Park also stressed the significance of the role of Cotton's unit in bolstering the U.S. extended deterrence. Cotton said the U.S. extended deterrence pledge to South Korea remains ironclad and promised that his unit will actively cooperate with the U.S. administration in fulfilling its commitment.
The minister also met with U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), who serves as co-chair of the newly established Korea Caucus at the U.S. Senate in Washington, the ministry said.
Park asked for support from the U.S. Congress on legislative activities in Washington, including those on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act, so as to promote reciprocal economic cooperation between the two countries.
The minister asked for Young's cooperation in further developing the global comprehensive strategic partnership between Seoul and Washington, as well as ties between South Korea and the senator's home state of Indiana, according to the ministry.
Source: Yonhap News Agency