SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced that his country’s alliance with the United States has been elevated to a “nuclear-based” partnership capable of deterring North Korea’s nuclear threats following the signing of joint nuclear deterrence guidelines.
Last week, the US and South Korea signed a milestone document outlining nuclear deterrence principles, warning that any doomsday attack on South Korea “will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response.”
The signing of these protocols, which took place on the sidelines of the NATO leaders summit, followed the establishment of the joint Nuclear Consultative Group by Washington and Seoul in April 2023. This group has been working to develop the deterrence document.
“The US will assign a special mission to its nuclear assets for the Korean Peninsula both in wartime and peacetime,” Yoon stated during a Cabinet meeting, as reported by Yonhap News. “We have established a posture to respond swiftly and effectively to any kind of North Korean nuclear threat,” he added.
The signing of the guidelines culminates the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group’s efforts to ensure the credibility of Washington’s “extended deterrence” commitment to South Korea in a manner that integrates South Korea’s conventional support for US nuclear operations in a contingency.
Extended deterrence refers to Washington’s pledge to mobilize the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms, to defend Seoul.
