Washington: The "primary" focus of the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains on deterring North Korea, but the allies continue to cooperate to align their "shared defense priorities" to respond to the "broader" regional security environment, a Pentagon press secretary said Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, press secretary Kingsley Wilson made the remarks in response to a question over the meaning of joint efforts by Seoul and Washington to "modernize" the alliance. This comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is prioritizing deterring an increasingly assertive China.
"While the primary focus remains on deterring North Korean aggression, we continue to work closely with the Republic of Korea to align our shared defense priorities in response to the broader regional security environment," Wilson stated. She further emphasized that the U.S. Defense Department is committed to a "modern, strategically sustainable" South Korea-U.S. alliance that "can address today's and tomorrow's security challenges."
Wilson elaborated that alliance modernization includes adapting the combined posture, deepening interoperability, and expanding cooperation across domains to ensure credible deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.