US, South Korea defence chiefs vow to step up drills to counter North Korea

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin met his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on January 31, 2023, pledging to strengthen military drills and security cooperation amid North Korea’s increasing weapons developments. Austin also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who stressed the need for more dialogue to build an effective deterrence system, which he said would ease concerns in the country.