The spiral of provocation continues: After North Korea’s ruler Kim had several missile tests held, Washington and Seoul are talking about expanding their joint military maneuvers. US President Biden relies on deterrence.
Because of the threat from North Korea, the US and South Korea want to expand “the scope and scope” of their joint military maneuvers. US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agree to start talks. The same applies to military training and further education, according to a bilateral meeting between the two presidents in Seoul.
The announcement is likely to be an affront to North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un. He rejects the military maneuvers as a warlike provocation. The United States and South Korea, in turn, see Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons program as a threat.
Biden has assured Yoon that the US remains committed to deploying the “full range” of its military capabilities to defend South Korea, including nuclear weapons, conventional weapons and missile defense systems, if necessary. The intention behind this strategy of extended deterrence is to deter potential adversaries – in this case North Korea – from attacking. A good 28,000 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea.
Biden is on a three-day state visit to South Korea as part of his first trip to Asia as President. The head of state sees the alliance with South Korea as a “linchpin for peace, stability and prosperity” in the region. Biden’s visit is overshadowed by the tense security situation on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has tested missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead several times this year. South Korea and the United States fear that North Korea could conduct a new missile or even nuclear weapons test around Biden’s visit.
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