Threats of attack: US defence chief heads to South Korea, Japan

Following increasing threats from North Korea President, Kim Jong-Un, to test-fire a new intercontinental ballistic missile at any time on the United States of America, the US Defence Secretary, James Mattis, is expected to visit South Korea and Japan on the first foreign trip.

The Defence Secretary is expected to use the visit to reassure Seoul of continuing US commitment to security deals despite the threat from North Korea leader.

Mattis is expected to be South Korea until Friday, and hold talks with his Korean counterpart, Han Min-koo, among other officials.

According to the Pentagon, the visit would “underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen US-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation”.

It would be recall that President Donald Trump, during his electioneering campaign accused South Korea and Japan of not paying enough for the US military support. He suggested that they could be allowed to arm themselves with nuclear weapons.

Both Japan and South Korea rejected this idea.

The Obama administration, the US and South Korea agreed to the deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea.

The US and South Korea say the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) will defend South Korea from North Korean missile threats.

But the move has angered China, which says it threatens its own security and goes “far beyond the defence needs of the Korean peninsula”.