South Korea’s Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held bilateral talks with the United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, along the margins of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in London, United Kingdom (UK) on Monday. During their discussions, both sides reaffirmed that the US-South Korea Alliance is “the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world.”
While the complete details of their meeting have not been released yet, Blinken and Chung stressed their commitment to work together in order to protect and advance their shared security goals, including utilising the US-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The Trilateral Information Sharing Agreement, brokered by former US President Barack Obama, has been specially designed to improve the monitoring of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs by the three allies.
To further this objective, Chung, Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are also expected to hold a trilateral session. If the meeting materialises, it will mark the first talks between Chung and Motegi.
The meeting between the US and South Korea comes after the White House announced on Friday that the Joe Biden administration had completed its policy review on North Korea, and that it will seek a “calibrated, practical” approach towards achieving the goal of the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. In response, North Korea called the policy “hostile” and warned that Washington will face “a very grave situation”.
The US, along with allies like South Korea and Japan, has long pressured North Korea over its nuclear ambitions. The latest talks come after Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin met with their South Korean counterparts in Seoul last month. At the meeting, both sides had reaffirmed the importance of the US-Republic of Korea (ROK) relationship as a strong counterweight to the trials posed by an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea (DPRK), and as one that promotes “promotes peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.”
Top diplomats of both countries are currently in London for the G7 foreign ministers’ summit, which is being held from May 3-5. Member countries include the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. South Korea and India are also attending the event as guests of host nation Britain. This is the first time in two years that foreign ministers from the world’s leading economies are meeting face-to-face amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the leaders discussed NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and threats posed by Iran, China, and Russia.
US and Korea Call Their Maritime Alliance “Linchpin of Peace and Security” in Indo-Pacific
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with South Korean FM Chung Eui-Yong to discuss Indo-Pacific security and called their alliance “the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity” in the region.
May 4, 2021
SOURCE: PTI