South Korea says in talks with US on ‘joint’ nuclear ‘planning and exercises’

ISTANBUL

Amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul on Monday revealed that it was seeking “joint” planning and exercises with Washington on US nuclear weaponry.

“For effective extended deterrence, we’re in talks with the US about the concept of joint planning and joint exercises in terms of nuclear capabilities, and the US is quite positive about it.” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview with a Korean daily published on Monday.

“The idea of the US providing a nuclear umbrella or extended deterrence to South Korea is not enough to reassure the South Korean public,” Yoon said, according to Yonhap News.

Seoul’s discussions with Washington over nuclear weaponry exercises came amid tensions with North Korea, which has fired dozens of projectiles and missiles in the past several weeks as the militaries of South Korea and the US have held regular joint military exercises in the region.

“In the past, the concept of a nuclear umbrella was preparation against the Soviet Union and China before North Korea developed nuclear weapons. What we call extended deterrence was also the US telling us not to worry because it will take care of everything, but now, it's difficult to convince our people with just that,” Yoon noted. “The US government also understands that to some degree.”

“To better respond to the North Korean nuclear threat, Seoul is hoping to take part in the operation of US nuclear forces,” the South Korean president said.

“The nuclear weapons belong to the US, but the planning, information sharing, exercises, and training should be carried out jointly by South Korea and the US. In the sense that South Korea and the US are jointly involved, this is tremendous progress from the previous concept of extended deterrence,” he added.

However, Yoon clarified that Washington was “uncomfortable with the word 'nuclear sharing'.”

“Instead, if we develop this to a concept where South Korea and the US jointly carry out not only planning for the operation of nuclear forces, but also exercises, training, and operations, based on shared information, that will be an effective measure that is as good as nuclear sharing,” he added.

Yoon said he was not against a summit-level meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.

“But I think the people are a little fed up with summits that are for show only,” he said. “We have to start with dialogue on humanitarian issues, and open the door to contact and dialogue between South and North. We have to set a direction by having a certain amount of discussions on both countries' agendas.”

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has also ordered “exponential expansion” of the country’s nuclear arsenal after Pyongyang fired a missile on the first day of 2023, Sunday.

Warning that North Korea was facing unprecedented attempts of isolation and “stifling," Kim told a ruling party meeting last week: “The prevailing situation calls for making redoubled efforts to overwhelmingly beef up the military muscle.”