▲ This file photo shows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and U.S. President Joe Biden speaking during a joint news conference after holding talks at the presidential office in Seoul on May 21, 2022. (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-nuclear deterrence

S. Korea, U.S. to discuss 'qualitative enhancement' of deterrence against N.K. threats

SEOUL, April 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States plan to discuss ways to qualitatively enhance Washington's extended deterrence against growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea on the occasion of a bilateral summit later this month, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

In a report submitted to the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee, the ministry said Seoul and Washington will discuss ways to "qualitatively enhance the extended deterrence capabilities against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats" during President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the U.S. this month.

Yoon and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, are set to hold the summit in Washington on April 26. The trip will mark the first U.S. state visit by a South Korean president in 12 years.

The ministry added Seoul is also "actively pursuing concrete and substantive achievements" in terms of cooperation in other fields, such as those of advanced technologies, economic security and people-to-people exchanges, based on results from the previous summit held in Seoul last year.

The ministry said it also expects the state visit to serve as an opportunity to realize the vision of an "action-oriented South Korea-U.S. alliance" that "safeguards the lives and safety of the people of both nations" and upholds their shared core values.

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