US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin hold a press conference on February 3, 2023 in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department in Washington, DC. PHOTO AFP WASHINGTON -- South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin said after meeting US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday that Seoul and Washington were committed to strengthening extended deterrence South Korea has sought assurances over extended deterrence, referring to the ability of the US military to deter attacks on US allies, due to security concerns on the Korean peninsula.
The US and the ROK Republic of Korea will continue our watertight coordination to achieve real peace on the Korean Peninsula, Park said at a joint news conference after the meeting at the State Department in Washington.
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We are committed to strengthening extended deterrence while maintaining a robust combined defense posture. Park and Blinken's meeting followed a visit to Seoul by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week, who promised to expand military drills and boost nuclear deterrence planning.
South Korea has been in talks with the United States over the Inflation Reduction Act IRA, which excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from tax credits in the United States.
Park said that we will work together to make sure that the Inflation Reduction Act is implemented in a way that addresses Korean companies' concerns and benefits both our businesses and industries.
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Park said Seoul would explore the potential for cooperation with Washington under the CHIPS and Science Act, a law designed to boost US semiconductor production and research.