Yoon, Biden reaffirm stronger alliance amid N.K threats

May 23, 2022, 08:51 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Korean Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on May 22, 2022, before Biden heads to Japan later in the day./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

U.S. President Joe Biden visited Sunday the Korean Air and Space Operations Center (KAOC), which is located at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province and serves as a strategic command post for the South Korean Air Force’s air and space operations, on the last stop of his three-day trip to South Korea, before heading to Japan.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who accompanied Biden until the last schedule, reminded him of the so-called three-axis system, and declared the will of the two countries to jointly respond to continually advancing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

During the visit, the two leaders touted the alliance and encouraged service members from both sides.

“The KAOC is a symbol of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and a key site where the two countries jointly respond to continually advancing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” Yoon said. “In particular, it is the center of operation for the so-called three-axis system and its central control body.”

The three axes refer to: the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict, the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike platform and the Korea Air and Missile Defense System (KAMD). Initially, it was called the “nuclear-weapons of mass destruction response system” under the Moon Jae-in administration. However, the Ministry of National Defense recently started to use the term, ‘Korean-style three-axis system’, officially. Yoon’s latest use of the term is apparently aimed at stressing a strong response towards the North.

Biden said the integration and coordination between the two countries will play an essential role not only in the past, but also now and in the future. “The fact that on deterring threats and underwriting stability, it’s as vital today, for not only the peninsula but for the world,” Biden said.

The visit of the two leaders came as part of efforts for the allies to stress their military readiness against North Korean nuclear threats. After touring the KAOC, Yoon and Biden bade farewell to each other at the lobby and traded a thumbs-up.

At the Yoon-Biden summit, the two leaders agreed to develop the bilateral relations into a ‘global comprehensive strategic alliance’. Political observers evaluated that the nature and scope of the existing military and security-oriented bilateral alliance has been expanded further to an alliance that jointly responses to economic, security and global issues.

A key official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said the two leaders formed a deep consensus on the theme of ‘liberal democracy’.

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