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| Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, right, and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis shake hands during a meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, Thursday. / Joint press corps |
Korea-US defense talks will be held today
By Jun Ji-hye
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in South Korea, Thursday, in his highly symbolic first overseas trip since taking office less than two weeks ago.
Mattis said earlier that he chose South Korea as his first destination as the Seoul-Washington alliance is very significant amid growing North Korean threats. This was seen as an apparent effort to reassure key allies unsettled by U.S. President Donald Trump's accusation during his campaign that Seoul and Tokyo have been "free-riding" on U.S. security commitments. Trump has significantly toned down this rhetoric since his election and has talked increasingly about the importance of the alliance.
Mattis's trip also includes a stopover in Japan, Friday.
While staying here for two days, he is scheduled to hold talks with Defense Minister Han Min-koo, today, to discuss measures to better deal with the North's aggression as well as other challenging bilateral issues including the planned deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.
"I will talk to them about THAAD absolutely," Mattis told reporters shortly before landing in South Korea, according to The New York Times.
"It is a defensive system. There is only one reason we would have this under discussion right now ― that is, North Korea's activities," he added.
The retired Marine Corps general touched down at the U.S. Forces Korea's (USFK) air base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, at around 12:30 p.m. and then moved to the USFK headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul. He received a briefing from USFK Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks on the security situation here including the latest developments in the North.
Military tensions are running high as the reclusive state's young and unpredictable leader Kim Jong-un claimed in his New Year address that the North has entered the final stages of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, believed to have a range of about 10,000 kilometers, and therefore capable of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.
Later in the day, the Washington's top defense official paid courtesy calls on National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, underscoring the U.S. security commitment to its Asian ally in the face of the saber-rattling North Korea.
During the defense ministerial meeting, Han and Mattis are expected to discuss how to form a stronger joint defensive posture against the North, including whether Washington will regularly deploy U.S. strategic assets, such as nuclear-capable bombers, to South Korea as part of measures to enhance its extended deterrence.
During their phone conservation Tuesday, Mattis vowed to continue the extended deterrence, which refers to Washington's stated commitment to defend its ally by mobilizing all military capabilities ― nuclear and conventional ― to deal with the North's provocations, according to officials here.
On Wednesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin also asked his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Joseph Dunford, to strengthen deterrence against the North, including deploying the strategic assets.
"Han and Mattis are also expected to reaffirm the need to deploy the THAAD battery here," a Ministry of National Defense official said on condition of anonymity.
The allies are planning to deploy the advance anti-missile battery by July this year, but China is strongly opposed to this based on its belief that the X-band radar of the system could be used to spy on the country's missile capabilities despite Seoul and Washington's assurance that the system is only designed to defend against the North's ballistic missiles.
During their phone talk, the two defense chiefs said the plan will go forward in spite of Beijing's ongoing protests and various retaliatory economic actions.
Other topics that could come up during the talks include issues related to defense cost-sharing, given that Trump pledged on the campaign trail to have wealthy allies such as South Korea and Japan shoulder more of the cost of American troops stationed in their countries, saying the U.S. should be prepared to withdraw troops unless the allies agree to pay more.
But the ministry official said, "The issue of the cost defense cost-sharing is not on the agenda."
