“The United States and South Korea are sealed by friendship ties forged in battle. We will continue to stick together to support the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to ensure the will of the international community on UN resolutions on security until North Korea conducts a denuclearization, ”Espera said on Twitter.
Esper previously flew to Mongolia to "confirm the common values of the United States" with this country.
He also called for the early deployment of land-based medium-range missiles in Asia and said the United States did not support China’s desire to dominate the Indo-Pacific region.