Yoon, Biden pledge stronger nuclear deterrence against North’s nuclear threat

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden at a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 26(local). [Photo by Yonhap]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday to significantly strengthen U.S. nuclear commitment to South Korea, promising “swift, overwhelming and decisive” action in the event of North Korea’s nuclear attack.

Yoon announced the agreement during a joint press conference following summit talks with Biden at the White House, outlining a joint statement, dubbed the Washington Declaration, that they adopted to strengthen extended deterrence against the North’s nuclear and missile threats. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to mobilizing all its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally, South Korea.

“We agreed to dramatically strengthen the two countries’ extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats in order to achieve peace through an overwhelming superiority of strength, not a fake peace that relies on the other party’s good will,” Yoon said.

Yoon also said that the two countries agreed to establish a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in order to operate the new extended deterrence system in more detail. Under the agreement, the allies will share information on nuclear and strategic operations and planning as well as holding regular discussions on how to plan and execute joint operations combining South Korea’s cutting-edge conventional capabilities with the U.S. nuclear capabilities, he said.

The two countries will also further develop table-top simulation exercises to prepare against a nuclear crisis and deploy U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in a regular and consistent manner, Yoon said.

The two leaders also agreed to enhance strategic partnerships in the field of the economy and security, Yoon said. The two leaders will continue close consultations and coordination on the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act to ensure they further strengthen supply chain cooperation between the two countries in the high-tech field, Yoon said.

Regarding the partnership in the high-tech field, the two leaders agreed to establish a dialogue for next-generation emerging and core technologies between the two countries’ National Security Councils, concerning chips, batteries, biotechnology, quantum science and other cutting-edge technologies, with the aim of promoting joint research and development and expert exchanges.

They also agreed to establish a bilateral Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework to jointly respond to cyber threats and deepen cooperation on information sharing, collection and analysis, according to Yoon.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden walk at the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 26(local). [Photo by Yonhap]

Yoon also unveiled an agreement on future generation exchanges. The two countries agreed to invest a total of $60 million for exchanges between 2,023 young people majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and humanities and sociology and pursue the largest-ever Fulbright scholarship project to support 200 students,

Furthermore, Yoon said that the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation to address regional and global challenges by cooperating more closely in implementing their Indo-Pacific strategies. In particular, the two leaders confirmed their common position that any use of force that causes innocent human casualties, as seen by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cannot be justified under any circumstances, and agreed to continue cooperation with the international community to support Ukraine, Yoon said.

The two leaders also discussed plans through which the two countries can take a leadership role in addressing global challenges, such as climate change, international development cooperation, energy, and food security, Yoon said.

When asked by a reporter about the contents of the Washington Declaration, Yoon said that this agreement to strengthen extended deterrence and ways to implement it is different from the past and that he expects it to greatly ease concerns among people about North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

“The U.S. has never shared and discussed information, planning and response regarding its nuclear assets with any country. It is a new extended deterrence measure, so I am confident that it is even more powerful,” Yoon said.

As to the question of whether the alleged U.S. wiretapping on its allies and partners were discussed at the summit talks, Yoon replied that the two countries are communicating with each other and are sharing necessary information.