Korea, U.S. to announce enhanced deterrence measures in a new declaration

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden are expected to adopt a so-called Washington Declaration with enhanced measures for extended deterrence during their bilateral summit Wednesday, a presidential official said Tuesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center left, and U.S. President Joe Biden, center right, visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, accompanied by first ladies Kim Keon-hee, left, and Jill Biden, right. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

WASHINGTON — President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden are expected to adopt a so-called Washington Declaration with enhanced measures for extended deterrence during their bilateral summit Wednesday, a presidential official said Tuesday.

The declaration will also include a plan to establish a nuclear consultation group between South Korea and the United States, a regular bilateral consultation mechanism that will enable more organic information-sharing, joint planning and execution for extended deterrence, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a press briefing in Washington.

A senior White House official also told reporters Tuesday that the new mechanism will focus on nuclear and strategic planning issues. South Korea is also expected to reaffirm its enduring commitment to its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Renewing this pledge implies that South Korea will not independently seek nuclear armament in return for a strengthened U.S. nuclear umbrella.

The mechanism is “modeled after what we did with our European allies during the height of the Cold War in similar periods of potential external threat,” the official said.

The official said the allies intend to take steps to make their deterrence more visible through the regular deployment of strategic assets, including a U.S. nuclear ballistic submarine, to South Korea, which has not happened since the early 1980s. The two sides also plan to strengthen their training exercises and simulation activities to better deter and defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The official said such better integration involves training, information sharing and specific movements of strategic assets.

From left, President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee explain their gifts to U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at a friendship event at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The two presidents, accompanied by first ladies Kim Keon-hee and Jill Biden, visited the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, their first encounter before their bilateral summit Wednesday.

The first couples laid wreaths at the memorial and paid respects to the war dead in silence.

They also viewed the Wall of Remembrance at the memorial on the National Mall honoring soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The names of 36,634 Americans who died during the war and 7,174 Korean augmentation troops to the U.S. Army are inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance, which was opened to the public on July 27, 2022, as a symbol of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

The $22 million project to build the monument was funded by donations from the people of both countries and Korean businesses.

The joint visit to the memorial is seen as a part of events to highlight the friendship between the two countries.

The Biden couple gave Yoon and Kim a small mahogany wood table, a vase and a sapphire necklace designed by a Korean American jeweler as gifts.

Biden also gave Yoon, a baseball fan, a vintage baseball bat, glove and ball used by a professional baseball player.

Yoon and Kim's gifts for the Bidens consisted of a Korean moon jar, a traditional headpiece called jokduri and a silver kettle, according to Lee.

Their meeting lasted around 90 minutes, and the two sides chatted in a “friendly atmosphere” on various subjects, including people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Lee said.

On Wednesday, Yoon and Kim will be received by the Biden couple in an official arrival ceremony at the White House. The two presidents will hold their bilateral summit at the Oval Office, followed by a joint press conference in the Rose Garden. They will be joined by the first ladies in a state dinner, which will include a Korean American chef and performances by Broadway performers.

This marks the first state visit by a Korean president to the United States in 12 years.

On the same day, Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris formally announced they would seek a second term in 2024.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hold a joint press conference at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on Tuesday in Greenbelt, Maryland. [AFP/YONHAP]

Earlier Tuesday, Yoon and Harris agreed to work toward strengthening a "space alliance" between Korea and the United States during a visit to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

"We renew our commitment to strengthen our cooperation in the next frontier of our expanding alliance, and, of course, that is space," Harris said in a joint press conference with Yoon.

“Space presents undiscovered and unrealized opportunity for our nations and for the entire world. Our task is to work together to guide humanity forward safely, sustainably and peacefully into this new frontier in this mission. The United States is very proud to work with South Korea.”

Harris added that the two countries are working to “establish international rules and norms for the peaceful and responsible use of space.”

NASA and the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT signed a joint statement on cooperation in outer space exploration that will solidify partnerships around space communications, navigation and research on the moon.

The two sides further agreed to strengthen space cooperation across all sectors — civil, commercial and national security.

Yoon said in the press conference that the joint statement "will serve as a springboard for taking space cooperation between our two allies to the next level of a space alliance."

This comes as Yoon is working to establish the Korean version of NASA, or the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA).

He added that cooperation with the new KASA and NASA will "be the driving force behind forging a strong space alliance."

"The universe has immense potential not only for bringing economic prosperity to mankind but for offering breakthroughs in our efforts to cope with climate change and other global challenges," Yoon said. "I've always believed that mankind's future lies in space."

He shared his vision to put Korea on the space economy roadmap, which aims to put the country in the top five world leaders in space technology by reaching the moon by 2023 and Mars by 2045.

Yoon said that growing bilateral collaboration in this field "will enable us to play a leading role in ensuring the benefits of space exploration are shared by all people."

On Monday, Yoon and Kim arrived in the United States for a weeklong state visit to hold a summit with Biden and mark the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance. They were accompanied by a 122-strong business delegation, including the leaders of Korea's top conglomerates.

Yoon and Kim stayed at the Blair House, the presidential guest house across the street from the White House, as Biden's second state guests since French President Emmanuel Macron and his first lady.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, front, inspects an honor guard as he visits Arlington National Cemetery near Washington with first lady Kim Keon-hee Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On Tuesday morning, Yoon and Kim visited Arlington National Cemetery near Washington and paid respects to American service members buried there. They were accompanied by Foreign Minister Park Jin, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg and other State Department officials.

A 90-member honor guard fired a 21-gun salute during the visit. A military band also welcomed the presidential couple.

Yoon laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited an exhibition room, where he presented a commemorative plaque honoring the American service personnel who fought in the Korean War.

The plaque, made of mother-of-pearl, is emblazoned with the two countries' flags, the official logo marking the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance and the sentence, "We will never forget, forgotten no more."

Yoon honored the "American soldiers who devoted themselves to freedom and peace on behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea," according to the presidential spokesperson.

Also on Tuesday, Yoon attended a business roundtable attended by executives from Korea's top conglomerates, and leading U.S. companies also took part in a Korea-U.S. business forum focused on the cooperation between the two countries' advanced industries.

"I hope that this visit to the United States will reaffirm that our two countries are a high-tech alliance in name and reality and that entrepreneurs will also be able to create new and innovative business opportunities," Yoon said at the forum, adding that the allies share core values and are closely connected economically, which make them ideal for building a supply chain partnership.

Later that day, Yoon hosted a luncheon under the theme of "Alliance in Action Towards the Future" and awarded medals to three American service members who fought for South Korea in the Korean War.

Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, retired Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams and late Marine Corps First Lt. Baldomero Lopez were awarded the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit, the highest decoration for military bravery.

The event was attended by some 300 key figures from Korea and the United States, including Joseph McChristian Jr., a grandson of Gen. James Van Fleet, commander of the U.S. 8th Army from 1951-53, and Paik Nam-hee, oldest daughter of Gen. Paik Sun-yup, commander of the Korean Army's 1st Division and a Korean War hero.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]