US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense Visit South Korea Simultaneously for the First Time in 11 Years

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is disembarking from his private plane through Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 17th.
[Photo by Joint Press Corps] [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Tony Blinken, the United States' top diplomat, and Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, simultaneously visited South Korea on the 17th. This is the first simultaneous visit by the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to South Korea in 11 years since July 2010.

Secretary Austin arrived at Osan Air Base around noon aboard the E-4B Nightwatch, an airborne command and control aircraft, while Secretary Blinken arrived at 2:40 PM on a dedicated plane. The E-4B, the U.S. Secretary of Defense's dedicated aircraft, is equipped with nuclear war execution capabilities, allowing direct command over all forces from the sky, and is also known as the "Doomsday Plane."

After completing a 3-day, 2-night visit to Japan, the two secretaries, on their first overseas trip since the Biden administration took office, came to South Korea. On this day, each secretary held bilateral talks with their South Korean counterparts. This marks the first face-to-face meeting between the heads of U.S.-South Korea diplomacy and security since the Biden administration began.

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is scheduled to meet with Secretary Blinken at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 6:30 PM to discuss various issues including the Korea-U.S. relationship, the Korean Peninsula situation, and regional and international cooperation.

South Korean Minister of National Defense Suh Wook and Secretary Austin will hold a Korea-U.S. defense ministerial meeting at the Ministry of National Defense building in Seoul at 4:15 PM. This is their first meeting since a phone call on January 24, coinciding with Secretary Austin's inauguration.

They are expected to assess the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korean developments, and discuss topics such as establishing combined defense posture and the transfer of wartime operational control.

The Korea-U.S. foreign and defense ministers will gather for a "2+2 meeting" on the morning of the 18th. The last Korea-U.S. "2+2 meeting" was held in Washington in October 2016, over four years ago. After the meeting, the four ministers are scheduled to hold a joint press conference, drawing attention to the messages they will deliver regarding North Korea and other issues.

In the afternoon, Secretaries Blinken and Austin will pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House. Suh Hoon, Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, will also hold individual meetings with the two secretaries to exchange views on the Korea-U.S. alliance, the Korean Peninsula situation, and regional issues. Secretary Blinken will also hold a virtual meeting with South Korean youth leaders and journalists.

Secretary Blinken will depart South Korea on the night of the 18th, and Secretary Austin will leave on the morning of the 19th.

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