WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is sending an additional Army combat force of 800 soldiers to South Korea with tanks and armored troop carriers, and pledged Tuesday to continue to modernize its military capability to face any threat posed by North Korea.

The announcement on the troop increase came as Secretary of State John Kerry met in Washington with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se. Kerry reiterated that the U.S. would maintain its nuclear defense for South Korea, a key Asian ally, and would not accept North Korea as a nuclear state.