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US Defense Secretary Vows Close Collaboration with South Korea

Carla Babb

   SEOUL - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday the U.S. and
   South Korea share a "vision of a peaceful" Korean Peninsula and
   declared the two allies would keep collaborating on North Korea and
   other issues.

   On his first international trip since being confirmed last month, Esper
   addressed the media in Seoul after meeting with South Korean
   counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo amid heightened regional tensions.

   Esper said the Washington-Seoul alliance is "ironclad" and the
   "linchpin of peace and security" in Southeast Asia. He added the two
   allies would ensure the "readiness of our combined forces to defend
   ourselves while also creating space for diplomacy."

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