Bloomberg : South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his government is in talks with the US on taking a more active role in managing nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, which would mark a significant shift in a decades-old policy among American allies to deter North Korea.
“While the nuclear weapons belong to the US, intel sharing, planning, and training should be done jointly,” Yoon told South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper in an interview published on Monday. “The US’s stance is quite positive,” he added, telling the newspaper that the policy should be conducted under the concept of “joint planning and joint exercise.” South Korea’s presidential office confirmed the remarks.
Yoon said the strategy of “nuclear umbrella” or “extended deterrence” is no longer reassuring for the public now that North Korea has developed nuclear weapons and a range of missiles to deliver them. Since taking power last May, Yoon has sought to put South Korea on a path of overwhelming military strength against North Korea, which has launched scores of missiles in defiance of United Nations resolutions and is preparing for another nuclear test.
Kim Jong Un Vows Nuclear Buildup to Take On US, South Korea (1)
In September, South Korea and the US agreed to cooperate more closely in their first formal talks on extended deterrence in about four years. The two sides agreed to “explore avenues to enhance alliance strategic readiness through improved information sharing, training, and exercises, as they relate to nuclear and non-nuclear threats, including better use of table-top exercises,” according to a US statement at the time.
