Yoon: "Both Korea and the US Exposed to North Korea's Nuclear Threat... Cooperate to Respond Together"

Interview with AP on the 10th... "Discussion on Joint Planning and Execution"
Yoon: "North Korean Provocations Lead to Strengthening ROK-US-Japan Security Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 11th, "Both South Korea and the United States are exposed to the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons, so I believe it is right for us to cooperate with each other."

In an interview with AP News released that morning, President Yoon spoke about the cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. in responding to North Korea's nuclear threat, saying, "Discussions on so-called joint planning and joint execution are underway." This interview with AP News was his fourth foreign media interview since taking office and was conducted the previous day at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul.

President Yoon added, "Regarding the operation of U.S. nuclear assets, we share necessary information and joint planning and joint execution are possible."

Regarding joint execution, he mentioned, "There will be table-top exercises (TTX), simulations, and exercises related to the mobilization of nuclear delivery systems."

President Yoon defined North Korea's provocations as "a very serious threat in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and the September 19 military agreement."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also made it clear that if North Korea continues provocations, South Korea will have no choice but to enhance its security response capabilities. President Yoon said, "There may be internal reasons within North Korea, but neither we nor other countries can precisely understand why they carry out such provocations," and warned, "These illegal provocations by North Korea inevitably lead to strengthening the Republic of Korea's security response capabilities and further enhancing security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan."

President Yoon also said, "If such tensions escalate, dangerous situations could arise, and as with most wars, miscalculations leading to serious war have been frequently seen in our history."

He also mentioned that if the Ukraine war is not resolved, it could provide North Korea with an opportunity to provoke.

President Yoon said, "If the Ukraine war is not resolved quickly, the message that such acts of aggression go unpunished or without corresponding sanctions from the international community could encourage North Korea to provoke."

Regarding the Itaewon tragedy, President Yoon said, "It is difficult for me to understand how such a large-scale crowd management failure could occur in a country like ours with a basic system in place," and added, "Since the investigation results will ultimately serve as grounds for the state's responsibility toward the victims and their families, I have instructed that the state's responsibility be thoroughly investigated, even if the state bears significant responsibility."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.