By Lee Jon Young

Foreign Minister Park Jin visited the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the U.S. 5th Fleet, which arrived at Naval Base in Busan to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, to learn about the current status of U.S.-ROK cooperation to strengthen the joint defense posture on Oct. 15.

Minister Park was guided by Fifth Fleet Commander Pat Hannifin and Commander Daryle Cardone, and received a detailed briefing on the carrier's operations, including the hangar, flight deck, and control tower.

"The U.S.-ROK relationship, which celebrated its 70th anniversary this year, reached its peak with the state visit of President Yoon Suk-yeol to the United States in April," said Minister Park. 

He said, "In particular, the visit to the Ronald Reagan, which took place while North Korea's nuclear and missile threats were becoming more advanced and explicit than ever, strongly demonstrates the unwavering security cooperation between the United States and South Korea for peace and stability in the region, including the security of the Korean Peninsula." 

"Increasing the regular visibility of U.S. strategic assets will be a great boost to the U.S.-ROK alliance."

Furthermore, Park noted that the successful U.S.-ROK maritime exercises held on the occasion of the visit of the U.S. Fifth Fleet carrier strike group are a concrete realization of the Camp David spirit expressed by the leaders of the three countries in August and will contribute to strengthening trilateral security cooperation to better respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

"As Ronald Reagan's motto goes, 'peace through strength,' true peace can only be supported by strength," Park said, praising the efforts of U.S. and South Korean officials, including U.S. commanders, and asking them to continue their efforts to maintain a strong joint defense posture.

"The U.S. Navy and Carrier Strike Group have a long history of working closely with the ROK Armed Forces, and this visit is a great opportunity to strengthen our naval and people-to-people relationships," said Hannifin, who noted that the U.S.-ROK alliance has been a key pillar of peace and security in the region since the signing of the 1953 U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, and that through joint exercises, we will continue to strengthen our ability to respond to threats from North Korea.