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First Trip As President For Biden To Asia; Azovstal Fighters Ordered To Stop Defense Of Mariupol; Biden-Yoon Q&A. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 21, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello, welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, live from Atlanta.
Ahead on NEWSROOM, the focus is on security in Asia. President Biden is visiting Seoul. We're expecting a news conference following the talks with the South Korean president.
Ukraine surrenders its last stronghold in Mariupol while Russia shows no sign of slowing down its relentless and destructive campaign.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Right now we're waiting to hear from the U.S. President and his South Korean counterpart following the two leaders meeting in Seoul. It comes on the second day of Joe Biden's first trip to Asia as commander in chief.
Earlier he participated in an wreath laying ceremony at the South Korea national cemetery where he paid respects to the Koreans who died protecting their country. Biden is now at the Korean ministry of national defense for talks with the president.
High on the agenda, the nuclear provocations by Pyongyang. Biden saying the alliance with South Korea is essential to stability on the world stage. Here he is.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For decades our lives have been a linchpin for regional peace and prosperity and it's been (INAUDIBLE) on the DPRK. And today our cooperation is essential to preserve the stability on the global stage as well.
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BRUNHUBER: Paula Hancocks and Kevin Liptak both joining us live from Seoul. Let's begin with you, Kevin. Presidents Biden and Yoon had their
meetings and in the brief comments so far, they highlighted security and economic cooperation.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right. They met behind closed doors. For several hours, including a lengthy one on one meeting, before they went into the meeting we just saw with their aides, President Biden saying that this visit to South Korea would take cooperation between the countries to new heights.
And he said that cooperation was essential to preserving stability on the global stage. You get a flavor for what they talked about behind the scenes with what the president was saying there in public.
What the president is really trying to do in these talks is cultivate a new partner in Asia. President Yoon has just come into office. President Biden sees this as an opportunity to really advance the critical alliance beyond focusing just on North Korea, which has been the case in the past.
President Biden wants to really expand it into something bigger, a trade alliance, economic alliance. He wants to position South Korea as a more of a player in the Indo Pacific on security issues aside from North Korea.
That's kind of what we expected them to be talking about in this behind the scenes meeting. One of the other things the president was hoping to do is kind of cultivate an interpersonal relationship with President Yoon. This is the first time they have been able to meet face to face and really talk on issues of substance.
President Biden is really someone who places a premium on these relationships. He says it's essential when you are governing and the leader of the free world. You go around the world and try to meet the people and develop some chemistry with them.
They do have certain commonalities. I think that's something you can expect the president did in that long one on one meeting. Of course the issue of North Korea, even though the president wants to move the relationship beyond just that, it is still a major component of the talks.
And the threat of a nuclear test or a missile test is still looming over things here. That hasn't happened yet. But the president's aides sort of are still on high alert for that to occur. Another meeting did end a little while ago and we're now waiting on the two men to come out and speak.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely.
Now, Paula, I want to build on what he was just saying there. They don't want to just focus on North Korea. But it's still a huge issue that hangs over them.
I want to ask about how South Korea's new president will handle the North differently, do you think, than his predecessor? PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll see a very different policy. We are already seeing a different policy to his predecessor. The former president Moon Jae-in was very much pro-engagement with North Korea, really staked his legacy on trying to get summits and talks between the U.S. and North Korea.
Little came out of it in the end. But certainly that was his focus. It's not the same case with this new President Yoon, bearing in mind he was only inaugurated 11 days ago. So we're still learning exactly what the policies will be.
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HANCOCKS: But there's no doubt he's more hawkish when it comes to North Korea. We heard it during the campaign and now. He has said if the conditions were right, he said he would meet and talk with Kim Jong-un. He hasn't ruled that out.
We have heard from both the U.S. and South Korean side they are willing to help North Korea when it comes to the COVID outbreak they announced a week ago. Now obviously it's very difficult to get accurate information from North Korea.
They are saying they have about 2.5 million "fever" cases, as they call them. They don't have the best testing capability to say definitely it is COVID. But we're hearing from North Korea they believe things are getting under control and more manageable now.
Clearly a week into an Omicron COVID outbreak things are not more manageable. So this is the tack that North Korea is taking. We have seen another politburo meeting from the North Korea leader yesterday.
But of course, the fact that North -- that South Korea and the U.S. are both offering through their presidents aid and assistance to North Korea it's very unlikely North Korea would accept it.
That means Kim Jong-un would have to admit to his people he's unable to give them what they needs and has to go to countries he declared to be enemies in order to get that help.
But we'll see and have already seen a different response to North Korea from President Yoon.
Even though he's saying that the door is open to dialogue, if North Korea reaches certain conditions or if it looks as though it's on the way to denuclearization, which few experts believe it will be, otherwise, it does appear he will have a more hawkish approach.
He's very much in favor of boosting the defenses of South Korea and, of course, doing that with the help of the United States.
To Kevin's point as well, talking about President Biden wanting this to be more than a security alliance, that's exactly what we heard from the South Korean president while he was a candidate in the presidential election, saying he wanted more from this relationship.
He wanted trade, he wanted economic partnership, not just a military partner.
BRUNHUBER: Staying with you, China obviously a huge issue for both Biden and Yoon. But China isn't staying silent. Beijing already complained the anti-China rhetoric was ramping up and now a different type of response. China now launching its own military drills.
What message are they sending?
HANCOCKS: We have seen from China -- it speaks for itself that they're not really necessarily needing to give a direct message from Beijing. The fact they're carrying out military drills, they do believe that much of the South China Sea is territorially owned by China, which international law and many countries around the world disagree with.
The fact is, from South Korea and the United States' point of view, they appear, these two presidents, to be at the same mind when it comes to Beijing at this point. Previous South Korea presidents have always had to toe a fairly delicate line and a real tightrope walk between the U.S. and China.
There's always been in the background a sort of pressure to choose, if you'd like. Obviously South Korea is an ally of the United States. But China is one of the biggest trading partners of South Korea.
So it is a difficult position South Korea has been in before. During the campaign -- and I keep referring to the campaign because he's only been in power 11 days -- during the campaign he specified he wanted to be closer to the U.S.
And that was read by default that he would be harder on China or at least less willing to go along with China. We simply have to wait and see if that's what he'll do.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Paula Hancocks and Kevin Liptak, in Seoul, thank you very much. We'll come back to you as soon as the two leaders speak. We're expecting that any minute. All right.
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BRUNHUBER: Turning now to Ukraine and the situation at the steel plant in Mariupol. Russia claims over 530 of those soldiers surrendered on Friday after the Ukrainian commander ordered his fighters to stop defending the city. CNN can't confirm if all Ukrainians have left the massive industrial site. We have more from CNN's Melissa Bell.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest picture of Dmytro Kozatskiy, a soldier with the Azov regiment who helped the world to see the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Posting, that's it. Thank you for the shelter Azovstal. The place of my death and my life.
[03:10:00] BELL (voice-over): A steady stream of its haggard and injured defenders has been leaving these last few days, Russian forces and their allies in the Donetsk militia surrounding the plant.
SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translation): Nationalist back to the plant are actively surrendering. So far 1,908 people have laid down their arms.
BELL (voice-over): The injured taken to hospital. The evacuees now prisoners of war in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.
Some of their families finally beginning to hear news from their loved ones.
NATALIA ZARYTSKA, WIFE OF AZOV FIGHTER: So my husband wrote me two days ago and as a situation as really hard and horrible. And my husband is on the way from one help to another help.
BELL (voice-over): Russia has promised to treat the fighters according to international law but has said nothing about any exchange of prisoners of war. According to Ukrainian officials, negotiations are difficult.
After weeks of bombardment, the place that symbolizes Ukraine's resistance seems at last to be quiet -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia just made good on its threat to halt natural gas to Finland. Vladimir Putin's regime wants all payments from, quote, "unfriendly" countries be made in Russian rubles or risk having supply cut off. They rejected the demand.
Moscow already shut off supply to Poland and Bulgaria after they refused to pay in the Russian currency. Finland's energy company said they will look at other sources and there will be no disruption.
The announcement came just days after Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO.
A Ukrainian judge could hand down a verdict on Monday in the first war crimes trial of a Russian soldier since the war on Ukraine began. The 21-year-old tank commander pleaded guilty to the fatal shooting, which happened in Northeast Ukraine on the fourth day of the war.
Vadim Shyshimarin testified he didn't want to kill an unarmed civilian and only did so under direct orders. His lawyers say the court should blame Russia's leadership instead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The leadership of the Russian Federation is to blame for this war, not this boy. He was trying to save his own life, especially from a threat that came from his fellow servicemen.
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BRUNHUBER: He told the man's widow he was sorry for killing her husband. Prosecutors ask he receive a life sentence.
Australia is going to the polls today and soon one of these two men will know whether he will be the prime minister for the next three years. We'll have a live report after the break.
Plus a federal judge blocks a plan from the Biden administration to end the program on migrant expulsions at the border. We'll explore what the White House is saying when we come back. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A setback for the Biden administration: a federal judge in Louisiana blocked it from ending a Trump era restriction on immigration called Title 42, a measure instituted during the pandemic that allows authorities to turn migrants away at the border.
The White House says they will appeal the ruling. Some migrants continue to be stuck in limbo.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are people who have been waiting a year, more than a year. And Title 42 hasn't allowed us to request asylum. We hope in God we find solutions because we can't return to our country.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Rosa Flores has more on the impact of the ruling from the U.S.-Mexico border.
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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This 27-year-old Haitian woman is seven months pregnant. She and her husband have been at the South Texas shelter for three days.
FLORES: They say that they left Haiti because the situation in Haiti was very dangerous.
FLORES (voice-over): They are part of an unprecedented surge of migrants at the southern border. More than 1.2 million people have attempted to enter through Mexico since October. About half --
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BRUNHUBER: We go live to Seoul where U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol are going to make some comments following their meeting. We'll take this live. Listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The presidents of the two countries will make an announcement on the results of the summit. First, President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea will take the floor.
YOON SUK-YEOL, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): Mr. President Biden, it is my honor to welcome you to the Republic of Korea.
At this summit, we shared the goal of developing the ROK-U.S. alliance into a global, comprehensive, strategic alliance and we discussed relevant actions to that end. Moreover, we engaged in a candid conversation, building friendship and trust.
[03:20:00]
YOON (through translator): Today, I also realized that President Biden and I see eye to eye on so many fronts. Over the past 69 years, the ROK-U.S. alliance has evolved into the linchpin of peace and prosperity in the region.
Now a long standing mission of the denuclearization of North Korea as well as the COVID-19 crisis, shifting trade order, supply chain realignment, climate change, democracy in crisis and numerous other new challenges confront our alliance.
These challenges can be tackled. Only when countries sharing the universal values of liberal democracy and human rights come together. The ROK-U.S. alliance that is an exemplary model of such solidarity.
Korea and the U.S. has global, comprehensive strategic allies stand ready to meet the challenges collectively and shape a rules-based order in that process.
These aspirations that President Biden and I share are well reflected in the joint statement we are adopting today. In the negotiations leading up to the joint statement, our two countries' deputies have exhibited trust and partnership, which I note with appreciation.
A sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula is underpinned by a principled and consistent policy toward North Korea. In lockstep coordination with the Biden administration, I commit to resolutely safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula and encourage North Korea to come forward for dialogue and engage in practical cooperation.
I will exert diplomatic endeavors to that end. We, as leaders of the two countries, reiterated our common goal of the complete denuclearization of the DPRK. There's no compromise for security under this shared belief. We concurred that strong deterrence against North Korea is paramount.
President Biden affirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and substantive extended deterrence.
At the same time our two countries hope to see North Korea take the path toward genuine denuclearization. Together with a community of nations, we pledge to spare no diplomatic effort to that end. U.N. Security Council resolutions will also be faithfully and fully implemented together with other countries.
The door to dialogue remains open; if North Korea genuinely embarks upon denuclearization in partnership with the international community, I'm prepared to present audacious plan to vastly strengthen its economy and improve the quality of life for its people.
Currently, North Korea is struggling with a COVID-19 crisis. Putting aside political and military considerations, I am more than willing to provide assistance from humanitarian and human rights perspectives.
I call on North Korea to respond to this proposal positively and begin taking practical steps toward denuclearization. We live in an era where economy is the security and security in turn is economy.
Supply chain disruptions resulting from a change in global security order are directly linked to the lives of our people. To adapt to the new reality, the ROK-U.S. alliance must also evolve further, not just with words but with actions.
We should ceaselessly strive to deliver real benefits that can impact the peoples of our two countries. President Biden and I, in the field of semi-conductors, batteries, civil, nuclear power, space and development, cyberspace and other emerging industries, agree to step up our practical cooperation.
Market shocks stemming from a shifting international order will also be actively addressed through our collective response. And as a first step, our offices of the president will launch an economic security dialogue so that, in supply chains, advanced scientific technology and other areas of economic security, our two countries can have timely communication and cooperation.
An orderly and well functioning foreign exchange market is crucial to sustainable growth and financial stability.
[03:25:00]
YOON (through translator): To that end, President Biden and I decided to engage in even closer consultation. For advanced reactors and small modular reactors development and export promotion, our two countries' civil nuclear industries committed to work together.
Moreover, our two nations, with regard to the defense industry, now emerging as a future growth engine, concurred to initiate discussions on our reciprocal defense procurement agreement that can be likened to an FDA (ph) in the defense sector. Korea, amid the ravages of war, achieved a remarkable growth with the
help of the United States and the wider international community. The world now recognizes us as an advanced democracy, the 10th largest economy and a cultural powerhouse.
We stand ready to proactively fulfill a role expected of us by the international community, to honor our responsibility and commitment. The Indo Pacific is a region important to both our countries.
Our two nations will work in concert to build a rules-based order in the Indo Pacific. And taking that first step is to participate in the Indo Pacific economic framework with a view to expanding our contributions and roles in the region. We'll also work to formulate a relevant strategy.
Our two countries, in response to immediate global challenges, will pursue even closer coordination.
A tragedy brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine must be resolved swiftly so that the people can return to their peaceful, normal lives. To that end, Korea and the United States decided to cooperate vigorously with the international community.
Building on the COVAX global vaccine partnership, Korea will actively join the global fight against COVID-19. A global health and security coordinating office will be established in Seoul as a way to contribute to sustainable global health security.
In addressing the existential threat to humanity posed by climate change, our two countries will endeavor to achieve our 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets and 2050 net zero emission goals through even greater coordination.
The friendship and trust I have forged with President Biden today will pave the way for further reinforcing our bilateral partnership for a new era. Toward this goal, I hope our two countries will engage in frequent communication and close consultation with each other. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Next, we're going to invite the President of the United States for his statement.
BIDEN: Thank you for all the time you gave me today, particularly our private conversations and incredible hospitality and welcome we've received. I'm honored to be able to be to meet you so early in your tenure. And it's a pleasure to get to know you personally.
I'm delighted to be back in your beautiful country and at time when the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States has never been stronger, more vibrant or, I might add, more vital.
And I believe that this trip is coming at a particularly interesting moment because we're seeing so many expectations in Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region being updated. I'm looking forward to it even occurring (ph) more. My administration, pursuing an economic strategy, designed to grow our
economy from the bottom up and the middle out and it's paying dividends. Even in the face of historic economic challenges, our economy is providing and proving to be resilient.
In fact, just yesterday, an independent analysis projected that the American economy is poised to grow at a faster rate than China, than the Chinese economy for the first time in 45 years, since 1976.
And our relationship with our allies, including, I'm proud to say, the Republic of Korea, are closer than they have ever been. And our people are growing even closer as we speak.
Our business are blazing new trails together and it all goes to my core belief, something I have said for a long time, it's never a good bet to bet against the United States of America. We're a nation that is all about one thing: possibilities, endless possibilities.
[03:30:00]
BIDEN: And that optimism and a commitment -- and commitment in innovation are breaking barriers is something that Koreans and Americans share.
Yesterday, the president and I visited a factory, where Korean American innovation, working in tandem to produce the most advanced semi-conductors in the world. I welcome the billion of dollars of investment that Korean companies like Samsung are making in the United States, investments that will bring our two countries even closer together, cooperating even more closely than we already do.
And help strengthen our supply chains, secure them against shocks and give our economies a competitive edge.
Today, President Yoon and I discussed a broad range of issues, as he mentioned today, I apologize for repeating them, in both regional and global terms. The cooperation between the Republic of Korea and United States is vital to our shared strategic progress. At least we both believe that.
From fighting this pandemic to strengthening global health security, health systems and so that we can better be prepared for the next major global health event. And there will be others.
From increasing our climate ambitions to accelerating climate solutions, like development of electric vehicles, I'm standing up to our shared -- for our shared democratic values and defending the rule- based international order against threats and stability.
Our alliance is making important contributions to shape the future for our children. And Korea's strong and its dynamic economy is a powerful example of that for the rest of the world.
I also want to thank the people of Korea for their strong support of the people of Ukraine. Putin's war against Ukraine isn't just a matter for Europe. It's an attack on democracy and the core international principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And the Republic of Korea and the United States, standing together, part of a global response of our allies and partners around the world to condemn Russia's flagrant violation of international law and to hold Russia accountable and to support the people of Ukraine.
Tomorrow, the president and I will be visiting with the Korean American troops who are still serving side by side even today, decades after our troops first fought valiantly together to preserve the freedom of the Republic of Korea.
It's emblematic of our strength and our continuing strength and the durability of our alliance and our readiness to take on all threats together.
And today, President Yoon and I committed to strengthening our close engagement and work together to take on challenges of regional security, including addressing the threat posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, by further strengthening our deterrence posture and working toward a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as the president has already spoken to.
Promoting stability across the Taiwan Strait as well and ensuring freedom of navigation, including in the South China Sea and beyond.
So thank you again, Mr. President, for your warm welcome, for your commitment to strengthening our alliance and for expanding our global partnership. I look forward to years to come.
Who has the first question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We're going to open the floor for questions and answers. The presidents of the two countries will be designated a person that will be asking questions.
Now we'll be taking a question from a Korean journalist, posing a question to the Korean president. Please raise your hand and the president will designate a person for the question.
QUESTION (through translator): Thank you for the opportunity to pose our question. First regarding the concept of economic security, a number of Koreans find the concept pretty unfamiliar.
So what are the benefits the Korean economy can gain from the economic security cooperation?
What are the real benefits that can be experienced by the Korean people?
And in addition to that, you talked about universal values, solidarity and alliance and you very much underscore that point.
But is there, for example, countries that can share those values?
[03:35:00] QUESTION (through translator): For example, strong exports, regulations or controls that the United States is imposing on other countries?
Do you think you can take -- resort to those measure as well?
YOON (through translator): As you may be very well aware, economic security is probably something that you have already heard and seen through various newspaper channels. Let's say, for example, this is directly related to the livelihoods of our people and important industrial goods.
For them to be produced, for example, let's say we're trying to produce a car with a unique system of semi-conductors and, for example, we had real water issues recently.
And so these are materials that are critically needed for our daily lives as well as our industry, our production and to secure stability in the supply chain is very much and directly related to the lives of the people as well as the national economy.
And this is in turn related to the national security as well as military security. And in the past, we had the WTO system that brought countries together to form a free and universal trading order.
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the formation of the blocks in the market, we see permanent risks when it comes to the supply chain. So it's very important to stabilize the supply chain.
And especially our two countries, the United States and Korea, we share the values of democracy and human rights. And along the likeminded countries, they share the values, it will be important to stabilize the supply chain. That's why we need to deal with the issue of economic security.
The NSCs (ph) of the offices of the president are given that authority to deal with the issue and, for example, if there are any difficult issues to be resolved, then the two countries will be engaged and in closer cooperation for economic security.
And we decided to pursue this goal going forward. And in addition, if you look at the financial market or the foreign exchange market, there could be possible shocks. And when that happens, the two countries can step in to help with each other and also related to the military security and also economic security, especially in relation to the export of defense items.
What the two countries hope to do is to initiate the negotiations in these area so that we can pave the way for promoting our cooperation in the specific fields. This is not just cooperation in terms of word or empty words, empty promises. It is going to be alliance that takes action together.
And we decided to evolve our alliance even further. And the United States and Korea, we advocate democracy, human rights and freedom. And even those countries that are not sharing those specific values, for the world peace, of course, we're not trying to exclude them in the process.
But we want these countries to be embraced in these universal values. So especially we want to start this close solidarity and cooperation among the like minded countries and countries that share the values.
Now we'll take the question from the American journalist, who will be posing a question to the American president. Please raise your hand.
QUESTION: Thank you.
First of all, President Yoon, your joint statement mentions a number of initiatives that you'll be taking on the security front. But it doesn't mention whether you asked the president for nuclear bombers, submarines or aircraft carriers.
Are those of interest to you and do you expect the president will be deploying them?
And for you, President Biden, there's no mention of the joint statement about whether there would be any preconditions for you meeting with North Korea's Kim or providing vaccines to North Korea. And so I wanted to see if there are any preconditions for that.
[03:40:00]
QUESTION: And then ahead of your meetings in Tokyo, I understand they will be asking for you to consider rejoining the TPP that was negotiated by President Obama.
Could you talk a little bit about your thinking about whether this Indo Pacific economic framework can lead to a bigger trade deal in the region?
Thank you.
BIDEN: Want me to go first?
The answer with regard to, would I meet -- would I provide vaccines for North Korea, will I prepare to meet, the answer is, yes, we have offered vaccines, not only to North Korea but to China as well. And we're prepared to do that immediately.
We have gotten no response. With regard to whether I would meet with the leader of North Korea, that would depend on whether he was sincere and whether it was serious.
What was the other question you asked me?
QUESTION: That there's room for a broader trade deal to come out of the Indo Pacific economic framework. We understand that Japan and others would like you to consider reconsider joining.
BIDEN: Well, I think what you're going to see is it what we're talking about in terms of this arrangement we're discussing now. It's quite significant. What we're talking about is as it was pointed out an economic strategy that with the entire Indo Pacific region. And it's working and on critical areas, the supply chain, not just that semiconductors but a range of other products as well.
Semi-conductors which is, we've already discussed a little bit, infrastructure and making sure we make available the capacity to provide modern infrastructure to many of the countries in the region, who may not have the capacity.
Three, the digital economy, dealing with cybersecurity standards and sharing major standards of data access based on the boundaries within trust. And that needs to be done in our view.
As well as a clean and renewable environment, clean energy technologies, global minimum tax, the tax side on the equation, just like we recently negotiated. And deal with establishing foreign practices act effective internationally.
All that is quite broad and it is separate from and also semi- inclusive of what TPP was about. So this is the objective that I have in mind, we have in mind, at the front end here.
YOON (through translator): The journalist from the U.S. posed me a question regarding extended deterrence. Let me address that question.
Every day, we're seeing North Korea advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities. And President Biden and I shared grave concerns and, more than anything else, we believe that this is something that merits our utmost attention.
President Biden also reiterated and reemphasized his commitment, the U.S. commitment, to effective extended deterrence. At the same time, key to our combined defense capability is the combined military exercises.
And we are going to step up our exercises. And we will be coordinating between ourselves regarding the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets. We'll take some time in coordinating between ourselves.
And regarding the cyber threats or the threats emanating from North Korea's isometrical capabilities, we'll continue to consult with one another as to how to counter those threats.
At the same time we'll reactivate the EDSEG (ph) and we will continue to advance and step up our high level consultative mechanisms. I hope that I answered your question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): So we're taking questions from a Korean journalist and American journalists. So we'll go back to the Korean journalist. So please keep your question to just one item.
QUESTION (through translator): I'm from Channel A. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to pose a question. This is an extension of the previous question. We talked about how to respond to the evolving nuclear threat of North Korea.
[03:45:00]
QUESTION: That you said that you are going to present an action plan to strengthen the effective extended deterrence.
So regarding that action plan, I wonder what kind of specific discussions you had today?
Did you see eye to eye on this action plan?
YOON (through translator): In the past, when it came to extended deterrence, we just talked about a nuclear umbrella. That was what I thought about extended deterrence in the past.
But beyond that, there could be many other aspects, including fighters, bombers and missiles. So regarding the timely deployment of such strategic assets, we did engage in the discussions today.
And going forward I believe that there will be more concrete discussions between our two sides. That was our agreement and it will be between our NSCs (ph).
And also as I already stated, in the course of the answering the question from the U.S. journalist, in order to prepare against a possible nuclear attack, our two countries' combined military exercises, I believe, should be stepped up in many aspects. We had that discussion. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We're going back to the American journalist, posing questions to the American president. This is going to be the last question. So please keep your question to just one item.
BIDEN: "The Washington Post."
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You are here in the region to promote the United States economic cooperation with South Korea and Japan. But the two countries have been locked in a trade dispute on top of their bilateral relationship deteriorating for a number of reasons over recent years.
So what kind of a role would the United States play here in resolving those and other disputes so that your administration can further your goal of bolstering our economic alliance with the region?
And I have a question for President Yoon.
BIDEN: You only get one.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: I'm protecting him.
The answer is that we discussed that in generic terms. The fact is that I'll be going from here to Tokyo and discussing this as well. I think it's critically important that we have a very close trilateral relationship, including economically as well as militarily.
And I think you'll see that there are ways to deal with some of the trade barriers that were placed, some of which, by the way, were placed by my predecessor, which we're looking at very closely right now.
So I think there's a lot of room to move. In addition to that, if you know, I think you covered the fact that I spent a lot of time in the ASEAN nations as well as the quartet. There's a whole range -- things have changed.
There's a sense among the democracies of the Pacific that there's a need to cooperate much more closely, not just militarily but in terms of economically and politically. And so we talked at some length about the need for us to make this larger than just United States, Japan and Korea but to the entire Pacific and the South Pacific and the Indo Pacific.
And I think this is an opportunity. You know you've heard me say a hundred times. I'm sorry to the American press to repeat it. But I really do think we're in an inflection point in world history. Things are changing so rapidly. I think you are seeing it and you're going to see more of.
It's going to be competition between democracies and autocracies. And I mean that sincerely. And unfortunately I think I'm being proven to be correct, not just here but around the world.
Again, we talked at length about this is a -- not only just regional but it's also a global alliance, in effect, how we'll respond. And I don't mean a formal written alliance.
But for example, if you notice Korea and Japan have both stepped up and supported Ukraine. You find that the quad is supporting Ukraine. So there's a whole range of things that affect whether or not democracies can be sustained in the midst of this incredible change taking place.
We both agreed that it could and it should be. And together we can play a major part in having that done.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
QUESTION (through translator): Your cabinet nominees are overwhelmingly male.
[03:50:00]
QUESTION (through translator): South Korea consistently ranks low among developed countries on professional advancement of women. And you yourself, during your presidential campaign, proposed abolishing the ministry of gender equality.
What role should a leading world economy like South Korea play in improving the representation and advancement of women?
But what will you and your administration do to improve the state of gender equality in this country?
YOON (through translator): If you look at the public official sector, especially the ministers in the cabinet, we really didn't see a lot of women advancing to that position thus far.
Probably, in various regions, equal opportunities were not fully ensured for women. And we have actually a quite short history of ensuring that. So what we're trying to do is to very actively issue such opportunities for women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This concludes the joint press conference. The presidents of the two countries will leave the room first.
BIDEN: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: And U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking there after wrapping up talks in Seoul. CNN's Paula Hancocks and Kevin Liptak both join us live from Seoul.
So Kevin, President Biden there saying the relationship between the two countries has never been stronger. And the two major themes the two leaders highlighted as expected, security and economy. So let's start with the former and their pledge of more joint military and cyber cooperation, an important break from the previous administration.
LIPTAK: Yes, this came out in a joint statement that was actually released before the press conference began. It was very interesting. It said that the two sides would explore expanding joint military exercises. And these are things that take place on something of a regular basis between the U.S. military and South Korean military.
President Trump had scaled back those military exercises. He said that they cost too much and that potentially they were too provocative as he was working to get North Korea's Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table.
Now this is a major reversal. President Biden is saying he wants to actually expand the exercises as to sort of bolster the deterrence efforts here on the Korean Peninsula. And I think that's a very key signal that President Biden wants to send.
He's taking a different approach than his predecessor. You heard that in his answer, when he was asked about whether he would meet Kim Jong- un with no preconditions. The president said he would meet with Kim if Kim appeared sincere and serious.
And president Trump didn't necessarily apply conditions to his meetings with Kim Jong-un. He met with him three times, including here in Korea, on the demilitarized zone.
So the president both in specifics and broader thematics is clearly trying to signal to American allies here in Asia that he is a adopting a different approach.
I think it's an open question for leaders here, whether they will take that at face value or whether they will see president Trump potentially waiting in the wings to run for president again and question whether these promises are durable. BRUNHUBER: Absolutely.
Paula, we heard President Yoon call the relationship with the U.S. a linchpin of security.
When it came to North Korea, plenty of discussion about deterrence but again a call to North Korea for dialogue, what stood out to you?
HANCOCKS: There was a call for dialogue. That's something we have been hearing consistently. And it was said when the two presidents stood up there that they urge North Korea to go back to the negotiating table.
Nobody that knows much about North Korea really expects that to be heeded at this point, given the fact they are very much in a cycle of testing. But he also did point out that both U.S. and South Korea did still want to push for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, again something which many experts, most experts, do not ever believe to be acceptable to North Korea.
That they would ever consider giving up nuclear weapons. Kevin said they are now deciding they will push toward these bigger military drills. It has been several years since they have had significant military drills.
We were always invited in the past. So it was almost like a message given to North Korea, to show the military might and deterrence of the U.S. and South Korea. That has disappeared for a number of years. Clearly, that's going to be coming back. And we can expect that will raise tensions here.
[03:55:00]
HANCOCKS: Every spring, when there were significant drills between the U.S. and South Korea, North Korea would react angrily. There would be testing and certainly heightened rhetoric. So we could expect that that will continue and we'll go back to what it used to be.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. And I guess we'll leave it there. Plenty to discuss about what they talked about there. We'll talk about that in the next hour. Paula Hancocks and Kevin Liptak in Seoul, thank you both very much.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'll be back with more news, stay with us.
