Washington and Seoul are planning to respond in the event that North Korea uses nuclear weapons
The President of South Korea confirmed that his country and America are discussing planning joint nuclear operations.
EPA
The White House announced yesterday that Washington and Seoul are planning an "effectively coordinated" response in the event that North Korea uses nuclear weapons.
A spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House said that South Korean President Yun Sok Yol and US President Joe Biden "assigned their teams to plan an effective coordinated response to a number of scenarios, including the use of nuclear weapons by North Korea."
Earlier yesterday, officials from South Korea and the United States said that Seoul and Washington are discussing joint planning and implementation of US nuclear operations to confront North Korea, and they hope to conduct a theoretical simulation of these operations soon.
The planning for nuclear operations is part of efforts by South Korean President Yoon Sok-yul, since taking office in May, to bolster the US's expanded deterrence and counter growing North Korean threats.
The expanded US deterrence means the ability of the US military, especially its nuclear forces, to deter any attacks against any US ally.
In a press interview, published on Monday, Yoon said that his country and the United States are discussing planning and training for joint nuclear operations, and this would dispel doubts about the expanded American deterrence, which "does not meet the aspirations" of the South Korean people in its current sense.
"In order to respond to North Korean nuclear weapons, the two countries are discussing ways to exchange information on the operations of US-owned nuclear assets, and jointly plan and jointly implement them accordingly," said Kim Eun-hye, the South Korean president's press secretary.
A senior US administration official said the two sides are looking to enhance information sharing, joint contingency planning and eventual simulation of nuclear operations, after the presidents of both countries, following their meeting in Cambodia in November, asked their teams to explore ways to counter North Korea's threats.
But the official indicated that regular nuclear exercises would be "very difficult", because South Korea is not a nuclear power, repeating a statement made by US President Joe Biden that the two allies do not discuss such issues.
A spokesman for the National Security Council said in a statement that the United States was committed to providing expanded deterrence, and that allies were working to prepare an "effective coordinated response to a range of scenarios, including North Korea's use of nuclear weapons."
Asked about the theoretical simulation of nuclear operations, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said talks were underway, but declined to give details.
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