Despite ongoing political turmoil in South Korea prompted by the Dec. 3 martial law imposition, acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have reaffirmed the decadeslong "ironclad" alliance between the two countries, Seoul's Ministry of Defense said Friday.
In a phone call, Kim "expressed his gratitude for the US government's support of the ironclad South Korea-US alliance despite the current domestic situation," according to Seoul's ministry. Austin, in response, highlighted the US' "watertight" commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula and pledged close cooperation to maintain a strong alliance between the two nations.
The two agreed to maintain the South Korea-US combined defense posture against North Korean threats.
They also have a variety of issues to address concerning the security situation on the peninsula, policy cooperation on North Korea and a bilateral alliance between Seoul and Washington, the ministry here said. Extended deterrence will be achieved through a joint commitment to the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' key nuclear deterrence dialogue body, and trilateral security cooperation with Japan.
In line with Seoul's defense ministry's statement, the Pentagon said the defense chiefs discussed their goal to ensure "the combined US-ROK defense posture remains strong and ready to respond to any external provocations or threats."
Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho assumed the role as acting defense chief after former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigned earlier this month. Kim Yong-hyun was later arrested after being accused of insurrection and being a mastermind behind the martial law plot.
In a morning meeting with senior government and ruling party officials, acting President Han Duck-soo emphasized the importance of retaining national security through "watertight readiness through a steadfast alliance between South Korea and the US," amid the political turmoil sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3.
Han stressed that Seoul's relations with its allies remain strong, mentioning his recent phone conversation with the leaders of the US and Japan. Han and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed on continued trilateral security cooperation with the US on Thursday. This followed Han's conversation with US President Joe Biden on Sunday, which reaffirmed the ties between the two allies.
"(Korea will) react in a preemptive and steadfast manner to changes occurring globally, and will focus all our efforts to revitalize the economy and aid the socially disadvantaged ailing from the recent difficulties," Han said at the first meeting with senior government and ruling party officials held since President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment motion was passed by the National Assembly last Saturday.
The US government on Thursday expressed its full support for Han's interim role, saying it plans to have high-level, in-person engagement with the Korean government during the last weeks of the Biden administration. The US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Washington would keep "every possible line of communication open not just with the interim government, but (with) other actors in the crisis."
The acting president and prime minister said an emergency economic response system would be enacted and the government would carry out an "intensive execution" of next year's budget in the first half of 2025 to revitalize the economy.
Han took over as the interim leader of Korea after Yoon's presidential duties were suspended. Yoon is subject to an impeachment trial and criminal investigation for insurrection regarding his imposition of martial law on Dec. 3-4.
