US, South Korean defence chiefs vow more drills to counter North

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his counterpart in Seoul on today, pledging to beef up joint drills and security cooperation as South Korea seeks nuclear reassurances in the face of growing North Korean threats.

Seoul is eager to convince its increasingly nervous public of America’s so-called extended deterrence commitments, after a year in which North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power and conducted a banned weapons test almost every month.