S. Korea, US agree on creating NATO-like nuke consultation group

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Apr 2023 18:30

South Korea and the United States are going to establish an alliance similar to the one made in the Cold War to counter the Soviet Union.

President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol step off the podium during a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, April 26, 2023, in Washington (AP)

South Korea and the United States will agree on creating a joint consultative group on nuclear arms based on the NATO Nuclear Planning Group in a bid to boost Seoul's ability to undermine the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.

The two countries are set on Wednesday to adopt a statement called the Washingon Declaration, in which the US will pledge to bolster its commitment to a so-called "extended deterrence" to counter the threats posed by the DPRK and mobilize a wide range of its military capabilities, the report added.

An official claimed that a US nuclear missile submarine would visit South Korea for the first time in decades as part of a strengthened nuclear shield between the two countries.

According to a senior US official, the actions outlined on Wednesday are unprecedented since the Cold War and are intended to increase deterrence in the face of the DPRK's nuclear operations.

Moreover, the declaration will call for the establishment of a joint nuclear consultation group between Seoul and Washington similar in its functions to NATO's Nuclear Planning Group, it noted.

The agreement mirrors actions seen last seen when Washington managed Europe's strategic defense against the Soviet Union.

Officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said there are no plans to post US nuclear weapons in South Korea, a departure from the Cold War when US strategic weapons were stationed in Europe. In addition, Seoul will restate its vow not to seek its own nuclear weapons.

"Through this, we expect the extended deterrence mechanism that covers information-sharing, joint planning, and joint execution to operate more organically," South Korean presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon told reporters, the news agency reported.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting the United States, where he is set to meet with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, at the White House to discuss numerous issues between the two states, including bilateral ties, the DPRK, and Ukraine.

Military aid to Ukraine was also identified as a main topic of the discussions as the West seeks to pressure Seoul into providing Kiev with more advanced military aid. Yoon's visit to Washinton marks the first official visit of a South Korean President to the US in almost 12 years and coincides with the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance.

The trip comes in the context of advances in the DPRK's nuclear program, specifically the launching of the Hwansong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, while Washington and Seoul have stepped up drills simulating a landing in the DPRK, further stoking tensions in the peninsula.

Biden and Yoon will follow up their meeting with a joint press conference at the White House Rose Garden, according to Biden's official schedule.

They are expected to put out a joint statement that revolves around extended deterrence, cyber cooperation, climate mitigation, foreign assistance, and mutual investments.

Yoon is just the second foreign leader to be invited to the White House for a state visit by Biden, and he and his wife were to be received with full military honors.

As South Korea weaves closer ties with the US, the DPRK's leader declared last year that his country is an "irreversible" nuclear power, conducting weapon tests nearly every month, including the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).