Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop meets with U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander John C. Aquilino

On the morning of October 7 (Friday), Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop met with Indo-Pacific Commander John C. Aquilino, and the two exchanged views on major current issues related to the ROK-U.S. alliance.

Minister Lee expressed his sincere concerns over North Korea's recent missile provocations as well as its advanced nuclear and missile capabilities, and stressed the importance of maintaining a solid joint readiness posture through tight ROK-U.S. cooperation.

Both sides agreed that the alliance's decisive response to the recent North Korean provocation sent a strong message to North Korea, and reaffirmed that the United States and the Republic of Korea both understand that the more North Korea provokes, the stronger the alliance's military response becomes.