U.S. and South Korean defense leaders have made significant progress in preparation for transfer of wartime control over the combined forces to the South Korean military.
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and National Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo completed the 50th U.S.-Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting in the Pentagon this morning.
Through a translator, Jeong said the meeting is important because it comes at a time when the two nations begin an “audacious journey toward denuclearization of and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
He said both sides agreed to strengthen further the cooperation between defense establishments “to provide military support to the diplomatic efforts of our countries.”
Milestone for U.S.-South Korea Alliance
Mattis said the meeting is a milestone in the U.S.-South Korea alliance. The meeting “bolsters an already strong partnership: one that is built on our foundation of common democratic values and the special type of trust shared only by those who fought and died alongside one another on the battlefield,” Mattis said. “Our predecessors would find us worthy in this demonstration of co-equal responsibility in the defense of liberty.”
The two men signed the alliance's mutually declared guiding principles, which paves the way for a…
