President Joe Biden and a key U.S. ally warned North Korea against any act of aggression as they agreed to strengthen cooperation in the face of a “growing nuclear threat posed by the DPRK.”
Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday in Washington DC on the sidelines of the annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.
In a joint statement released by the White House following the meeting, the presidents warned North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un that “a nuclear attack by the DPRK on the Republic of Korea would be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response.”
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The statement also praised the “tremendous progress” made by the U.S.-South Korean alliance and celebrated the signing of their first joint guidelines on nuclear deterrence.
The agreements provide “principles and procedures” for nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement from the U.S. Department of Defense and the South Korean Ministry of National Defense.
While full details were not released, the presidents said the agreements create “a strong foundation for strengthening U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence in an integrated manner.”
This document constitutes a natural extension of the existing collaboration between the two countries in the area of nuclear deterrence.
Last year, the two men launched the “Nuclear Consultative Group,” establishing U.S. nuclear deterrence commitments to South Korea, which has long sought a U.S. nuclear “umbrella” to protect itself in the event of an attack by its northern neighbor.
Since the launch of the NCG, US nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines have begun appearing in South Korean waters, angering Pyongyang.
South Korea does not have nuclear weapons, but President Yoon Suk Yeol has suggested it could develop a nuclear arsenal if tensions with North Korea do not improve.
The most hawkish statements about the need for South Korea to acquire nuclear weapons have been made by the country’s conservative politicians.
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Kim Jong-un has continually attempted to develop and threatened to use nuclear weapons, despite international condemnation and sanctions.
Tensions on the inter-Korean border have also remained high in recent months.
Satellite images showed North Korea clearing land and building a wall in the demilitarized zone, its troops crossing and receiving warning shots from South Korean forces, and the two countries engaged in a continuing exchange of propaganda leaflets and trash balloons.
The signing of the new nuclear deterrence guidelines comes just weeks after Russia and North Korea signed a strategic partnership agreement during Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country in mid-June.
The treaty, the full text of which was published by North Korean state media, included promises of enhanced economic cooperation and collaboration to resist Western sanctions.
The agreement included a mutual defense clause and an assurance that the two countries would come to the other’s aid in the event of an attack “with all the means at their disposal, without delay.”
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