South Korean Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul has met with the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other alliance-related issues, officials said Tuesday.
Shin and Adm. John C. Aquilino held the talks Monday (local time) after the U.S. dispatched a nuclear ballistic missile submarine to South Korea last week for the first time since 1981, Seoul's defense ministry said.
The meeting came as the allies are seeking to bolster the credibility of the U.S.' "extended deterrence" commitment to defending South Korea against evolving threats from North Korea.
Shin thanked Aquilino for the efforts he and his unit have made to strengthen the alliance, noting that last week's deployment of the USS Kentucky and the inaugural session of the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group demonstrated the alliance's resolve to strengthen the U.S.' deterrence commitment.
Aquilino described the current state of the alliance as being stronger than ever, and the two sides agreed to closely coordinate together to maintain a "solid" alliance, according to the ministry.
The U.S. pledged to enhance the "regular visibility" of its high-profile military assets in the Washington Declaration that Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden issued during their summit in April.
Shin is currently visiting Hawaii to take part in a repatriation ceremony for the remains of South Korean soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Source: Yonhap News Agency