Blinken calls on NATO members to deepen cooperation with S. Korea: State Dept.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on NATO members to deepen their cooperation with South Korea, the State Department said Tuesday, amid US efforts to enhance cooperation between US allies.

"Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of Alliance partnerships, including NATO-EU cooperation, and encouraged NATO to deepen its cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea," the department said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Blinken's call came in a virtual meeting with other foreign ministers of NATO member countries, according to the department.

The Joe Biden administration has repeatedly emphasized the importance of US allies in its growing competition with China, calling them an "asymmetrical" capability or asset that the rivaling China and Russia do not have, and stressing the importance of not only the US working with its allies but US allies working closely among themselves.

Blinken reaffirmed the US' commitment to NATO and to revitalizing US alliances, the State Department said.

"The Secretary expressed support for Secretary General (Jens) Stoltenberg's efforts to adapt the Alliance through the NATO 2030 initiative, making it more resilient and capable of confronting systemic challenges from Russia and the People's Republic of China and responding to emerging and evolving challenges, including climate change and hybrid and cyber threats," it added.

The US has also been increasingly calling on South Korea and Japan to work closely together amid soured relationship between its two key Asian allies over their longstanding history issues.

"We underscore the fundamental importance of US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation for addressing the DPRK, protecting our shared security and prosperity, upholding common values, and bolstering the rules-based order," Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, said in a joint statement issued after their bilateral summit here on May 21.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. (Yonhap)