Sec. Austin says US will increase deployment of strategic weapons to South Korea during visit to region
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Top Republican and Democratic lawmakers invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday to address Congress later this month, when he travels to the U.S. to celebrate the 70th anniversary of America's alliance with South Korea.
"The relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea is one of great importance and significance," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a letter to Yoon.
"Your leadership has been instrumental in strengthening this partnership, and we believe the Joint Meeting would provide an ideal platform for you to share your vision for the future of the U.S.-Korea alliance and to highlight the progress that has been made in recent years."
Yoon is scheduled to meet with President Biden April 26 for a state dinner. The White House said last month that the two leaders will "highlight the importance and enduring strength of the ironclad" alliance between the U.S. and South Korea.
Yoon would address a Joint Meeting of Congress the next day on April 27.
President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visit the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek campus, Friday, May 20, 2022, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
The trip by South Korea's president comes amid escalating tensions with North Korea, which claimed on Thursday that U.S.-South Korea military drills are "pushing the security situation of the Korean peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war."
U.S., South Korean, and Japanese destroyers participated in naval anti-submarine drills this week, while the U.S. flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea, meanwhile, has tested a number of new weapons in recent months, including an "underwater-to-surface" weapon system that fires cruise missiles from a submarine.
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Yoon warned last month that North Korea is "advancing its nuclear weapons day by day and conducting missile provocations with unprecedented intensity."
"The South Korean government and military will drastically strengthen our three-axis system in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile advancements and provocations, and will further solidify security cooperation with the United States and also trilaterally with the United States and Japan," Yoon said.