U.S. and South Korea Agree to Cooperate on Nuclear Weapons

WASHINGTON—For the first time, the United States will give South Korea a central role in its strategic plan for the use of nuclear weapons in any conflict with North Korea. Said.

The agreement, dubbed the Washington Declaration by both sides, is the centerpiece of this week’s state visit by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, who appears with President Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

The new cooperation models well how NATO countries plan for a possible nuclear conflict, but the American president retains sole authority to decide whether to use nuclear weapons. Although it has never formally adopted a “no first use” policy, officials said such a decision would almost certainly be made only after North Korea itself used its nuclear weapons against South Korea. rice field.

On Wednesday morning, National Security Council spokesman John F. Kirby said despite the wording of the new declaration, “we caution against thinking that there has been a renewed focus on the centrality of nuclear weapons.” “We have a treaty with the republics on the peninsula,” he said, using the abbreviation for the Republic of Korea, adding, “I want to make sure we have as many options as possible.”

This agreement is notable for several reasons. First, it is intended to provide a guarantee to the South Korean public that polls consistently show supporters in favor of building an independent South Korean nuclear force. Yoon himself openly considered that option earlier this year, but his government quickly retracted the statement. He also raised the possibility of reintroducing US tactical nuclear weapons into South Korea. .

In 1991, under the administration of George H.W. Bush, the United States withdrew its last nuclear weapons from South Korea.

But the second reason it matters is what the Biden administration says so little. It comes close to overturning commitments dating back to the Obama administration to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in America’s defense strategy. Over the years, the United States has improved its non-nuclear strike options, increasing the accuracy and power of conventional weapons that can reach any target in the world in about an hour.

But South Korea wants greater guarantees of “extended deterrence.” This is the concept that the US will try to deter a nuclear attack on South Korea by North Korea, even if it risks North Korea attacking a US city.

South Korea has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which prohibits the acquisition of nuclear weapons. So the commitment not to build your own weapons is nothing new. However, countries can withdraw from the treaty simply by notifying the United Nations. North Korea in the early 1990s. Three countries, Israel, India and Pakistan, did not sign the treaty and developed nuclear weapons.