WASHINGTON-- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday underscored the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the two countries to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

"We will forge stronger connections within and beyond the region. We'll deepen our treaty alliances with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand," Blinken said of the importance of U.S. alliances in the region while delivering a speech at Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta.

"Those bonds have long provided the foundation for peace, security, and prosperity in the region," he added, according to a transcript of his speech released by the state department.

Blinken is currently on a nine-day trip to Britain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Hawaii.

The top U.S. diplomat noted that the first two foreign leaders President Joe Biden hosted at the White House were from the Indo-Pacific -- former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in -- which he said highlighted the Biden administration's efforts to listen and "understand your vision for the region and its future."

He also noted that during the Biden-Moon summit, held in May, South Korea and the United States announced a plan to jointly invest more than US$3.5 billion in emerging technologies, including 5G and 6G networks, as part of efforts to promote freedom and openness in the region by "depending an open, interoperable, secure and reliable internet."

Blinken also underscored efforts to bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.

"It's about reinforcing our strengths so that we can keep the peace, as we've done in the region for decades. We don't want conflict in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

"That's why we seek serious and sustained diplomacy with the DPRK, with the ultimate goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. We'll work with allies and partners to address the threat posed by the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs through a calibrated, practical approach, while also strengthening our extended deterrence," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He also stressed the importance of cooperation among U.S. allies, including South Korea and Japan, to maintain peace and security in the region.

"We'll foster greater cooperation among these allies, as well. That's one of the things we've done by deepening U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation, and launching an historic new security cooperation agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom," said Blinken.

"We'll find ways to knit our allies together with our partners, as we've done by reinvigorating the Quad," he added, referring to the quadrilateral forum that currently involves the United States, Japan, India and Australia.

Source: Yonhap News Agency