The Free Press Journal

Biden pushes economic, security aims as he ends S Korea visit

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President Joe Biden tended to both business and security interests Sunday as he wrapped up a threeday trip to South Korea, first showcasing Hyundai’s pledge to invest at least USD 10 billion in the United States and later mingling with troops at a nearby military base.

Biden’s visit to Osan Air Base, where thousands of U.S. and South Korean service members work side by side to monitor the rapidly evolving North Korean nuclear threat, was his final stop before continuing to Japan.

“You are the front line, right here in this room,” the president said in a command center with maps of the Korean Peninsula projected across screens on a wall. It was a day that brought together two key messages that Biden is trying to project during his first trip to Asia as president.

At a time of high inflation and simmering dissatisfa­ction at home, Biden emphasized his global mission to strengthen the American economy by convincing foreign companies like Hyundai to launch new operations in the United

States.

And he wanted to demonstrat­e solidarity with nervous Asian allies who live in the shadow of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and grew skeptical of U.S. security commitment­s while President Donald Trump was in office.

Earlier Sunday, Biden brushed aside questions about any possible provocatio­n by North Korea, such as testing a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile during his trip, saying, “We are prepared for anything North Korea does.” Asked if he had a message for the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, Biden offered a clipped response: “Hello. Period.” It was another sharp departure from Trump, who once said he “fell in love” with Kim.

 ?? AP ?? US President Joe Biden (2nd R), accompanie­d by South Koreas President Yoon Suk-yeol (2nd L), speaks at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Sunday
AP US President Joe Biden (2nd R), accompanie­d by South Koreas President Yoon Suk-yeol (2nd L), speaks at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Sunday

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