US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) poses for a photo with the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Defense Minister Suh Wook during a meeting at ROK's defense ministry in Seoul, March 17, 2021. (PHOTO / AP)
SEOUL – The Republic of Korea's (ROK) and the United States' defense chiefs reaffirmed the common goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during their talks on Wednesday, according to ROK's defense ministry.
ROK Defense Minister Suh Wook spoke with visiting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Seoul, who arrived earlier in the day following his trip to Japan together with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Meanwhile, ROK Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to continue consultations in order to hold a summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden as early as possible
Suh and Austin reaffirmed the ROK-US common goal of the peninsula's complete denuclearization and the permanent peace settlement, the ROK ministry said.
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They also reaffirmed the conditions-based transfer of the wartime operational control of ROK forces from the US, under a 2006 agreement between both sides.
ROK's wartime command was handed over to the US forces after the 1950-53 Korean War broke out. ROK won back its peacetime operational control in 1994.
Meanwhile, ROK Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held talks with Blinken to discuss the issues of mutual concern, such as ROK-US relations, the Korean Peninsula issues, and other regional and global issues, according to ROK's foreign ministry.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) and the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (left) hold talks at ROK's foreign ministry in Seoul, March 17, 2021. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)
Chung and Blinken had an in-depth discussion on ways to cooperate between the two countries for substantive progress in the complete denuclearization of and the lasting peace settlement on the peninsula.
The diplomats agreed to continue consultations in order to hold a summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden as early as possible.
Austin and Blinken arrived in ROK after visiting Japan on the first overseas trip by top cabinet members of President Joe Biden’s administration.
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The US officials are scheduled to hold a so-called "two plus two" meeting with their ROK counterparts on Thursday.