World News | Biden unveils new measures to protect South Korea from nuclear weapons

WASHINGTON, April 24 (AP) President Joe Biden will use this week’s celebratory state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to stress that the United States is ready to step up efforts to stop North Korea from attacking South Korean officials, according to the senior administration.

Biden will announce specific new nuclear deterrence efforts, as well as new cybersecurity initiatives, economic investments and educational partnerships, as part of an effort to highlight the “breadth and depth” of their relationship on the 70th anniversary of the two countries’ relationship, according to two requests Officials who discussed plans for Yoon’s visit on condition of anonymity said the coalition was a coalition.

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One of the officials said Biden wanted to underscore in particular the “ironclad” U.S. commitment to deter North Korea’s nuclear operations, as Pyongyang has ramped up ballistic missile testing, including flight tests of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for North Korea. First time earlier this month. The latest test is seen as a possible breakthrough in North Korea’s efforts to acquire more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons aimed at the continental United States.

The officials gave no details on the new deterrence effort but said the United States was seeking to send a clear message to Pyongyang about its “increasingly aggressive rhetoric”.

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Biden also hopes to use the visit, which begins Tuesday, to stress the importance of stronger security ties between South Korea and Japan.

As the Indo-Pacific region grows more complex, Biden has been looking for opportunities to help the historic rivals improve their long-standing tensions. He held three-way talks with Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the East Asia Summit in Cambodia in November and the NATO summit in Madrid in June, focusing on the North Korean threat.

Last month, South Korea announced a plan to compensate South Koreans for forced labor during Tokyo’s colonial rule that would not require compensation from Japanese companies.

Biden hailed the step as a “groundbreaking new chapter” in cooperation between the two countries. Yoon then visited Tokyo later in March to hold talks with Kishida. This is the first summit between the leaders of the two countries since 2011.

During his visit this week, Biden plans to stress that Yoon’s “courage and determination to reconcile with Japan” is critical to peace and stability, according to aides.

Before Yoon’s visit, the United States, South Korea and Japan conducted joint missile defense exercises last week aimed at countering North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to pressure the United States to accept North Korea as a legitimate nuclear power and wants to negotiate a strong position to ease sanctions, experts say.

The U.S. and South Korea held their biggest on-the-ground drills in years in March, as well as sea and air drills involving U.S. carrier strike groups and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, respectively.

Yoon is the second ally to be granted a state visit by Biden. French President Emmanuel Macron paid a state visit to France in December. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)