An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

You have accessed part of a historical collection on defense.gov. Some of the information contained within may be outdated and links may not function. Please contact the DOD Webmaster with any questions.
Immediate Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Mattis’ Meetings with Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in, National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-Hwa

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

On October 26, 2017, in separate meetings in Seoul, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in, ROK National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong, and ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-Hwa ito discuss regional and global security issues, including the threat posed by North Korea. 

In each meeting, the leaders reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and noted the importance of a strong military to support the diplomatic efforts of the international community to achieve their shared goal of the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

They reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK alliance is the linchpin of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and hailed the deep and close bilateral defense ties that have grown over six decades since the Alliance was formed. 

They noted the importance of international diplomatic cooperation to increase pressure on North Korea to show the regime that its unlawful and destabilizing behavior will only result in continued condemnation and isolation from the international community.