US Reaffirms Extending Nuclear Deterrent to Protect South Korea, Japan

The US government remains committed to defending South Korea and Japan against threats from North Korea including the potential use of nuclear weapons, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a joint statement following a US-Japan-Korean trilateral vice foreign ministerial meeting in Washington.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, U.S. Blinken, Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama, and Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam met in Washington, DC, for the sixth round of Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial consultations.

“Blinken underscored that the United States remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan and the ROK [Republic of Korea]…  providing extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defense capabilities,” the statement, issued by the State Department on Thursday, noted.

The trilateral series of meetings began in 2016 following North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions that year, the fact sheet noted.

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