US, South Korea open to expanded military drills to deter nuclear threat from North
India Today
Following a meeting on Saturday, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that they will consider expanded joint military exercises to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea.
US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said after meeting on Saturday that they will consider expanded joint military exercises to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea at a time when there's little hope of real diplomacy on the matter.
The announcement reflects a shift in direction by both leaders from their predecessors: Former US President Donald Trump had considered scrapping the exercises and expressed affection for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
And the last South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, remained committed to dialogue with Kim to the end of his term despite being repeatedly rebuffed by the North.
Biden said cooperation between the US and South Korea shows “our readiness to take on all threats together.”
North Korea, which has defended its nuclear weapons and missile development as a necessary deterrence against what it describes as US threats, could well respond angrily to Saturday's announcement.
It has long described joint military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion, although the allies have portrayed the drills as defensive.
READ | North Korea releases video showing Kim Jong Un guiding ICBM launch
