U.S. defense secretary visits South Korea two days after North Korean missile launch

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea, April 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea on Thursday during a state trip emphasizing the importance of relations between the United States and regional allies.

Carter had concluded a visit to Japan before meeting with 200 U.S. military personnel at Osan Air Base in an assembly that resembled a town hall meeting, Yonhap reported.

He said the U.S. military would deploy new investments on the South Korean base to deter North Korean provocations.

On Tuesday, South Korea said North Korea had fired two surface-to-air missiles that flew a few miles before plunging into the sea.

Carter said the missile launch showed the tensions that still preside over the Korean peninsula, according to The New York Times.

"These are the kinds of provocative acts that the alliance is designed to respond to," the defense chief said, referring to the U.S.-South Korea military alliance.

Carter also said the Korean peninsula is one of the most dangerous places in the Asia-Pacific region.

The defense secretary's trip was part of an ongoing strategy of a "U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region," a plan that will be substantially supported by the U.S. military presence.

On Friday, Carter is due to meet with South Korea's defense minister. The issue of THAAD deployment is likely to be discussed, Yonhap reported.

In a speech at Arizona State University on Monday, Carter said the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region was an important strategy in U.S. foreign policy.

He said the United States is working with its allies Japan and South Korea to build an information-sharing arrangement, and strengthening maritime security in collaboration with Australia and Japan.

On the issue of China's provocative hacking in the Internet space and Beijing's behavior in the East and South China Seas, Carter said the U.S. concerns are being raised with China on a regular basis.

But the defense secretary said that he rejects the "zero-sum thinking" on China.

There "is another scenario in which everyone wins – and it is a continuation of the decades of peace and stability anchored by a strong American role, in which all Asia-Pacific countries continue to rise and prosper," he said Monday.