U. S. Defense Secretary James Mattis travels to Seoul and Tokyo Thursday to reassure Washington’s key East Asian allies after President Donald Trump unilaterally suspended military exercises in South Korea, sparking concern over his commitment to the region. With the U. S. president lauding North Korean leader Kim Jong
U. S. Defense Secretary James Mattis travels to Seoul and Tokyo Thursday to reassure Washington’s key East Asian allies after President Donald Trump unilaterally suspended military exercises in South Korea, sparking concern over his commitment to the region.
With the U. S. president lauding North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a « talented guy » as he seeks to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, Mattis went to South Korea Thursday afternoon after a two-day visit to China.
He assured South Korea of an « ironclad » commitment to its security, including keeping U. S. troop levels unaltered. Mattis defended Trump’s decision this month to halt the military exercises, saying it would increase the opportunity for diplomats to negotiate.
But Mattis added that U. S. and South Korean forces would remain « united, vigilant and ready ».
He will fly to Tokyo Thursday night for a day of meetings with his Japanese counterpart on Friday.
Both countries have security alliances with the U. S. guaranteed by treaty, but have been thrown off-balance by Trump’s quick moves on negotiations with Kim.
Most striking of all, at a press conference after the two men’s summit in Singapore earlier this month, Trump announced he would suspend joint military exercises with the South — with Seoul indicating that it was not informed beforehand.
U. S. and South Korean forces have trained together for decades, and always characterised the drills as defensive in nature, while Pyongyang condemned them as rehearsals for invasion and often responded with provocations of its own.
