SEOUL, 18 March, 2021 (TON):  On Thursday, the Defense and Foreign Ministers of South Korea and the U.S. held bilateral talks about the Korean Peninsula and regional issues.

The joint statement issued later the meeting said the two sides reaffirmed that the S. Korea-U.S. alliance serves as the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Chung Eui-Yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook of South Korea, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

The two sides also reaffirmed a mutual commitment to the defense of South Korea; the chief negotiators from the two allies inked a tentative deal on the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA).

SMA is a South Korea-US pact to share the upkeep cost for about 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, with the observation of the four ministers.

Reports said, they also affirmed the importance of South Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation, pledging to continue promoting mutually-beneficial, forward-looking cooperation to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the region.