Resuming US-ROK Defense Ministers' Call... "No Communication Issues"

Minister of National Defense Suh Wook is attending the full meeting of the National Defense Committee held at the National Assembly on the 9th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The postponed phone call between the South Korean and U.S. defense ministers, delayed on the 13th due to circumstances on the U.S. side, is expected to be rescheduled soon.

Moon Hong-sik, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular briefing on the 16th in response to related questions, "A call between Defense Minister Seo Wook and Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller was planned but postponed due to circumstances on the U.S. side," adding, "The call will take place soon."

Earlier, Miller, who was appointed on the 9th, spoke on the 13th (local time) with defense ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan to discuss ways to strengthen alliances.

Regarding whether there are any communication issues with the U.S. defense authorities, Deputy Spokesperson Moon said, "There are no problems in communication." He explained, "We scheduled the call to communicate first with the Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense compared to other countries, but it was postponed due to circumstances on the U.S. side," adding, "We are currently negotiating to set a schedule for the call soon."

After the presidential election, President Donald Trump abruptly dismissed Defense Secretary Mark Esper, with whom he had conflicts, on the 9th and appointed Miller as acting secretary.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Acting Secretary Miller reaffirmed in a call with Japan’s Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo that the U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of defense and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. They also agreed to continue discussions on ongoing cooperation in new domains such as COVID-19 response, security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, space, and cyber.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.