Yoon returns from productive state visit to the United States

President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded a weeklong state visit to the United States Sunday, an occasion to reflect on the 70 years of the alliance, and on ways to forge ahead. Some critics said the summit was more talk than substantive action.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, waves alongside first lady Kim Keon-hee as they arrive in Korea on the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi, wrapping up a weeklong state visit to the United States on Sunday afternoon. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded a weeklong state visit to the United States Sunday, an occasion to reflect on the 70 years of the alliance and on ways to forge ahead.

As the first Korean leader to make a state visit to the United States in 12 years, Yoon's trip was marked by events highlighting the ironclad relations between Seoul and Washington, including the adoption of the Washington Declaration on extended deterrence and the president's own viral moment singing an American pop song at the state dinner.

Some critics said the summit was more talk than substantive action, while others worried that South Korea made too many concessions to the United States without attaining enough in terms of security guarantees.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee returned to South Korea Sunday afternoon, and the president is expected to order follow-up measures to the summit in the coming days.

On Sunday, Yoon, in a tweet, thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and his first lady for "their truly warmest welcome" and noted that the alliance between Korea and the United States "are a blood alliance forged by the sacrifice of our young soldiers" and an "alliance of freedom and justice."

"God's blessing and a valuable legacy for our future generations," he continued.

A key outcome of the state visit is the Washington Declaration aimed at strengthening extended deterrence measures.

Through the declaration, the two leaders agreed to establish a NATO-style Nuclear Consultative Group to "map out a specific plan to operate the new extended deterrence system." The two sides will share information on nuclear and strategic operations and regularly deploy U.S. strategic assets to South Korea, including dispatching a nuclear ballistic missile submarine to the peninsula for the first time in 40 years.

South Korea, in turn, reaffirmed its commitment to its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

Critics were less enthused about the Washington Declaration and what sort of practical security guarantees it holds. Some liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, including party leader Lee Jae-myung, criticized Yoon of yielding too much to U.S. wants and contributing to destabilizing the region.

North Korea immediately criticized the South Korea-U.S. declaration, with Kim Yo-jong, sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issuing a statement Saturday saying that the regime could take "more decisive" action should there be a change in the security environment on the peninsula.

Analysts have pointed out that the declaration falls short of providing the same kind of nuclear sharing that the United States and NATO members have.

Even some conservatives, such as proponents of South Korea's own nuclear armaments, an idea that Yoon himself has dabbled in the past, expressed worries that the declaration may set too many restrictions on South Korea, including underscoring its commitment to abide by the NPT.

But Seoul officials said not to focus on the technical terminology of "nuclear sharing" but on the broader effect.

"The South Korea-U.S. alliance has been dramatically upgraded from an alliance based on conventional military power to a nuclear deterrence alliance," National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong told YTN in an interview Monday.

Washington, through the declaration, has "guaranteed and upgraded the nuclear umbrella over us in a very effective way," Cho said.

"The goal is to maintain a readiness posture to deploy strategic assets that can reliably punish North Korea if it continues to play with fire 365 days of the year."

Cho said that if the situation in Ukraine escalates or if a large-scale humanitarian problem arises, "we always hold variability in our policies, and there is ample room for reviewing options," without directly committing to the provision of lethal aid.

The presidential office said in a statement Sunday that through Yoon's state visit, the two sides strengthened multilateral cooperative relationships in five key areas: strengthening U.S. extended deterrence; deepening economic security cooperation; deepening a high-tech alliance; expanding of human and cultural exchanges; and realizing a future alliance that jointly contributes to global freedom, peace and prosperity.

It also noted that the summit was an occasion to deepen trust and bond between the South Korean and U.S. leaders, build an alliance that contributes to world peace and prosperity and expand public support for the alliance within the United States.

Yoon and Kim Keon-hee arrived in Washington last Monday and attended a series of meetings with overseas Koreans and business leaders. They had their first encounter with the U.S. president and first lady Jill Biden Tuesday evening in a visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial to pay respects to American service members and their sacrifices for the alliance.

The first couples were reunited on Wednesday through an official arrival ceremony at the White House, followed immediately by talks between Yoon and Biden and a press conference in the Rose Garden.

During the joint press conference, Yoon said the Washington Declaration signifies "an unprecedented expansion and strengthening of the extended deterrence strategy."

Biden, in turn, gave a stern warning that a "nuclear attack by North Korea" against the United States or its allies is "unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime, were it to take such an action."

Yoon said that "the use of force to take the lives of innocent people — an example of which would be Russia's invasion of Ukraine — can in no circumstances whatsoever be justified," pledging to "continue our cooperation and efforts alongside the international community to support Ukraine."

The two leaders issued a statement that highlighted that they are unified in a common determination to deepen and broaden their political, economic, security and people-to-people ties.

They underscored that the bilateral ties are a linchpin for peace and prosperity, a strategic economic and technology partnership, and a comprehensive global strategic alliance that goes beyond the Korean Peninsula.

They condemned Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine and affirmed that they will "ensure the effective implementation of their country's respective measures to deter further Russian aggression" and stay committed to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

They also recognized the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is "prosperous and peaceful."

The two presidents reiterated the "importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an essential element in security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region."

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, cheers as Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sings at a state dinner at the White House in Washington Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The state dinner later that evening was a star-studded affair, with attendees ranging from Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox, a Korea-inspired menu planned by Jill Biden and Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee and performances by Broadway stars.

Yoon proved to be the scene-stealer with his impromptu performance of Don McLean's "American Pie," his favorite song, earning resounding applause from the Bidens and the crowd of 200 supporters of the alliance.

On Thursday, Yoon made an English-language address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, titled "Alliance of Freedom, Alliance in Action," earning him 60 rounds of applause, including 26 standing ovations.

"Korea will play the role as a 'compass for freedom,'" together with the United States, Yoon said during the address, which stressed that the alliance is one based on the universal values of freedom, human rights and democracy.

Yoon called Russia's war against Ukraine "a violation of international law" and "an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo with force."

He also warned against North Korea's nuclear program, missile provocations and human rights abuses.

Yoon later attended a state lunch hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon to discuss deterrence against North Korea.

Yoon became the first Korean president to visit the Pentagon's National Military Command Center, the U.S. military's top command and communication center, where he was briefed on U.S. strategic surveillance and crisis response systems. He also became the first foreign leader to visit the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, discussing ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in science and technology.

Yoon was accompanied by a 122-member business delegation during the trip and partook in a series of business-related meetings, including the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington Tuesday. He also visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with Harris.

Korea and the United States signed some 50 memoranda of understanding, including 23 to boost cooperation in advanced industries and energy fields.

U.S. companies committed to investing $5.9 billion in Korea during this visit. This includes $1.5 billion by American multinational tech company Corning and $2.5 billion in K-content by Netflix over the next four years.

Yoon held an unplanned meeting Thursday with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, asking the company to invest in Korea.

The presidential entourage flew to Boston, a biotech hub, on Thursday to kick off the second leg of the U.S. visit.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks during a talk event with Joseph Nye, professor emeritus at Harvard University, at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On Friday, Yoon held discussions with digital and biotechnology experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and met with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.

He also became the first Korean president to deliver a policy address at Harvard Kennedy School, titled "Pioneering New Freedom Trail," followed by a conversation with American political scientist Joseph Nye, professor emeritus at Harvard University.

Taking questions from the audience, Yoon said there is "no choice but to upgrade our Mutual Defense Treaty of 1953 based on conventional weapons" to the current system, which will now include nuclear capabilities, referring to the Washington Declaration.

Regarding some public calls within South Korea for its own nuclear arsenal, Yoon noted that the country has the technology to do so "within one year."

"However, obtaining nuclear weapons is not just about technology," Yoon said, noting that complex political and economic factors are at play.

"The Washington Declaration does not only contain the responsibilities of the United States, but it also includes some duties for South Korea," Yoon said, adding this includes respecting the NPT regime and "not acquiring our own nuclear weapons."

He said he has a "firm belief in the sustainability" of the Washington Declaration, calling it "more effective" than NATO's multilateral nuclear sharing arrangement with the United States.

Yoon again criticized the invasion of Ukraine and said that South Korea will continue to "expand its humanitarian and financial support to protect the freedom of Ukrainian citizens," as it has over the past year. This came amid continued speculation on whether South Korea will shift its existing policy against providing lethal arms to provide support beyond humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.

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