Biden’s main focus on Saturday was to establish “a strong personal relationship” with Yoon.
US President Joe Biden and newly-appointed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol said on Saturday they would consider moving forward joint military exercises in response to a “threat” from North Korea, while trying to shore up the isolated dictatorship in the face of a COVID-19 pandemic. Will also offer to help. 19 outbreaks.
After meeting in Seoul on Biden’s first visit to Asia as president, the two leaders said in a statement that “given the growing threat posed by North Korea, they are looking forward to expanding the scope and scale of joint military exercises and training.” Agree to start the discussion. on and around the Korean Peninsula.”
Arriving in Pyongyang, the statement said the two leaders “expressed concern over the recent COVID-19 outbreak” and were working with the international community to “provide assistance” to North Korea to help fight the virus. ready to do”.
Yoon said the COVID aid was being offered with Pyongyang in accordance with “humanitarian principles, apart from political and military issues”.
Both presidents are committed to the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea, he said, adding that “nothing is more important than a strong deterrence against the North”.
Biden began his day by paying respects at Seoul National Cemetery, where soldiers who died defending South Korea, including many who fought alongside American soldiers in the Korean War, were buried.
He then held closed-door talks with Yoon ahead of a joint press conference and state dinner.
On Sunday, Biden visits another major US ally, Japan.
In addition to tensions over North Korea and a US-led campaign to punish Russia for attacking Ukraine, Biden’s main focus on Saturday was to establish “a strong personal relationship” with Yoon, a US official said. Which is less than two weeks into his presidency.
Like Japan, South Korea is seen as a major player in the US strategy to control China and maintain a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
The official told reporters on condition of anonymity that Biden’s visit to Asia is “about displaying unity and resolve and strengthening coordination among our closest allies”.
However, the trip was called a “saber-rattling” by a US official across the heavily fortified border in North Korea, which the White House believed was a nuclear-capable missile or explosive device to take advantage of the high-profile moment. can test. ,
– Cutting edge investment –
Upon arrival on Friday, Biden accompanied Yoon on a tour of a huge Samsung Semiconductor factory. “The relationship between the two leaders started off very well,” the US official said on condition of anonymity.
Biden called the US-South Korean alliance “a harbinger of peace, stability and prosperity” and highlighted the Samsung plant’s role in maintaining the fragile global supply chain for semiconductors.
Biden said chips are a critical component in nearly every piece of sophisticated modern technology, and that South Korea and the United States need to work to “keep our supply chains resilient, reliable and secure.”
For the US leader, whose Democratic Party fears a possible rout in midterm elections in November, the supply chain is an acute domestic political challenge, with Americans frustrated by rising prices and failures in the post-Covid pandemic recovery.
Biden pushed back on Samsung’s decision to build a new semiconductor plant in Texas to open in 2024.
In the southern US state of Georgia, the governor announced Friday that South Korean auto giant Hyundai will build a $5.5 billion plant to produce electric vehicles and batteries – another in Biden’s vision to put cutting-edge technology at the heart of the US. High priority. industrial strategy.
– American leadership –
Adding to the uncertainty about what is happening in North Korea, the country has admitted that it is going through a major outbreak of COVID-19.
On Saturday, North Korean state media reported that nearly 2.5 million people had fallen ill with a “fever” with 66 deaths as the country “intensified” its anti-epidemic campaign.
How this crisis could affect Kim Jong Un’s decision on nuclear tests is one of many unknowns that US and South Korean officials are weighing.
Former CIA analyst Soo Kim told AFP that North Korea’s next move would help advance US-South Korean ties under Yoon.
“Should Kim Biden go ahead with a trial during his visit, he would effectively help the two countries find more justification for working together on the North Korea issue,” she said.
In Japan, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the emperor.
On Monday, he will unveil the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, a major new US initiative for regional trade. A day later, he would attend a regional summit of the Quad – a grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)