Washington Declaration ‘Reliance on U.S. Nuclear Deterrence’ Vs Cho Tae-yong ‘Nuclear Deterrence Alliance’ Yoon Seok-yeol ‘Nuclear Base’
Regarding the “reliance on US nuclear deterrence” in the Washington Declaration by the US and South Korean leaders, Cho Tae-yong, head of the National Security Office, presented a new argument for the “nuclear deterrence alliance” and “our nuclear weapons,” while President Yoon Seok-yeol put forward “nuclear base sharing.”
The Washington Declaration states, “The Republic of Korea fully believes in the United States’ extended deterrence commitment and recognizes the importance, necessity, and benefits of South Korea’s continued reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence.” We promise to make every effort to negotiate with South Korea in all possible nuclear weapons use cases, and the ROK-US alliance will maintain a robust communications infrastructure to facilitate such consultations. clearly stated.
On the other hand, National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong said on the 1st, "As the expression 'nuclear sharing' can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, it is more accurate to describe it as a nuclear control alliance and a nuclear deterrence alliance." There should be. We are different because we (tactical nuclear weapons) are outside the Korean Peninsula,” he said, defining “us” for “deterrence from US nuclear weapons.”
Chief Cho said on the same day, "Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo's meaning is correct, but using the term 'nuclear sharing' doesn't seem right."
At a local briefing on the 26th of last month, right after the Washington Declaration was announced, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy chief of national security, said, “You will feel as if you are living while sharing nuclear weapons with the United States.”
On the same day, on YTN, Chief Cho applied “we” to the “US nuclear umbrella,” saying, “The only nuclear sharing the US has is the NATO-style nuclear sharing concept.”
The Washington Declaration said, “To commemorate a historic year for our alliance, President Yoon and President Biden promised to develop an even stronger mutual defense relationship, and in the strongest language, pledge to maintain the combined defense posture under the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty. "The ROK and the United States are committed to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and the actions we take together will further advance these fundamental goals," he said. access to information about the US nuclear umbrella'.
The Washington Declaration states, “The two leaders declared the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and manage the North Korean threat to the non-proliferation regime.” We will cooperate to enable joint implementation and planning of conventional support for the US nuclear operation, and strengthen joint education and training activities on the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.”
The Washington Declaration states that “in fulfillment of the commitments made between the two leaders, the ROK-US alliance has introduced a new cross-governmental map simulation between the two countries to strengthen a joint approach to nuclear contingencies planning.” It is completely different from 'our weapon' by specifying only 'virtual training accessibility'.
Regarding the Washington Declaration at the joint press conference at the summit, President Yoon Seok-yeol said, “South Korea and the United States will have an immediate summit meeting in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea, and through this, a swift, overwhelming, and decisive decision using all the forces of the alliance, including the United States’ nuclear weapons, will be achieved.” We promised to take countermeasures.
South Korea and the United States argue that the US nuclear deterrence policy is nothing more than a deal between the two sides, in which South Korea relies on its own nuclear arms control while providing a nuclear umbrella to its allies, unlike US nuclear deterrence against small nuclear states with large nuclear weapons. It is completely distinct from the existing NATO nuclear deterrence alliance.
Prior to the summit, the presidential office announced to the domestic media that "both governments are reviewing a plan to stipulate that the United States will respond with nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack on South Korean territory by North Korea and others."
"With the Washington Declaration, the ROK-US security alliance has been upgraded to a new nuclear-based paradigm," President Yoon said in a live broadcast of the cabinet meeting on the 2nd. It is more effective than NATO's Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) in terms of meeting and discussing more deeply," he said of the 'nuclear foundation' as the greatest achievement of his visit to the United States.