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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently warned North Korea that US troops are ready to “fight tonight” after North Korean leaders criticized the resumption of military exercises by the United States and Korea. South.
According to the news agency SputnikIn a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his South Korean counterparts on March 17, Austin said that the administration of US President Joe Biden and the US military were committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Tien along with other goals
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) and his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook at a meeting at the South Korean Ministry of Defense headquarters in Seoul on March 17. Photo: AP
“The United States remains fully committed to protecting the Republic of Korea, using all of our capabilities, including our expanded deterrence capabilities,” Austin told reporters.
Additionally, Austin says the importance of maintaining military readiness remains high on his agenda.
“Our forces are ready to fight tonight and we continue to advance the transition from the War War Operations Control Agency to the future Joint Forces Command commanded by South Korea,” Austin emphasized.
The United States Secretary of Defense believes that this process will strengthen the alliance between the United States and Korea.
Austin made the remarks shortly after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, called on the United States to avoid “spreading the smell of gunpowder” when Washington promoted plans to restore drills with Korean forces.
“If America wants to rest for the next four years, it had better refrain from spreading the smell of gunpowder,” warned Ms. Kim Yo-jong.
Indeed, Kim warned that North Korea could be forced to take special measures to resolutely cancel the North-South military agreement if North Korea’s leadership feels pressured.
North Korea has long believed that the joint US-South Korean military exercise is simply a mock invasion. In January, Kim Jong-un announced that talks between the United States and North Korea could only begin if the military exercise between the United States and South Korea was canceled.
The last exercise between the United States and South Korea took place on March 8, but has been greatly reduced due to the COVID-19 epidemic and ongoing diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.
Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since a February 2019 meeting between Kim Jong-un and then-US President Donald Trump. At the time, the second historic meeting between the two leaders ended abruptly after the United States refused to agree to the lifting of sanctions on North Korea.
Although the Biden administration has yet to establish a clear policy toward North Korea, Biden is expected to follow many of the stances and policies that Trump has exploited.
North Korea says America shouldn’t cause trouble ‘if it wants peace’
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