Yoon: "Overwhelming Response with US Nuclear Weapons if North Korea Attacks... Establishment of Nuclear Consultation Group" (Update)

Joint Press Conference After Summit at Baegakwan
Yoon: "Deployment of US Strategic Assets... Regular and Continuous"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 26th (local time), "The Republic of Korea and the United States have agreed to hold immediate consultations between leaders in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea," adding, "We have pledged to take a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response using all allied forces, including the United States' nuclear weapons." This agreement, reflecting the shared understanding of 'peace through strength' between the two leaders, was incorporated into the 'Washington Declaration.'

After concluding the ROK-US summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington DC that afternoon, President Yoon said at a joint press conference, "Facing North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, we have decided to significantly strengthen extended deterrence between our two countries to achieve peace through overwhelming superiority of force, not a false peace relying on the other's goodwill."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon officially announced the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG). He explained, "From now on, the Republic of Korea and the United States will regularly consult on sharing information regarding nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans in response to North Korean threats, and on ways to jointly plan and execute combined operations that integrate South Korea's advanced conventional forces with U.S. nuclear forces. The results will be reported to both leaders." He added, "We will further develop tabletop simulation exercises to prepare for nuclear crisis situations," and "The deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula will be conducted regularly and continuously."

He also emphasized strengthening strategic partnerships in the economic security sector. President Yoon said, "We have agreed to conduct close consultations and coordination to further enhance supply chain cooperation between our two countries in advanced technology sectors through the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act." Regarding partnerships in advanced technology fields, he stated, "We will establish a 'Next-Generation Emerging and Core Technologies Dialogue' between the ROK and U.S. National Security Councils (NSC) to promote joint research and development and expert personnel exchanges in advanced technologies such as semiconductors, batteries, biotechnology, and quantum."

Discussions will also begin to expand the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty to include cyber and space domains. President Yoon said, "Through a strategic cybersecurity cooperation framework, the Republic of Korea and the United States will jointly respond to cyber threats and deepen cooperation related to information sharing, collection, and analysis."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a state visit to the United States, and U.S. President Joe Biden are holding a joint press conference on the 26th (local time) at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Additionally, he introduced cooperation and exchanges for future generations. Regarding the newly launched 'ROK-US Youth Special Exchange Initiative,' President Yoon said, "The two countries plan to invest a total of 60 million dollars to facilitate exchanges among 2,023 young people in STEM and humanities and social sciences fields from each country," adding, "This will also include the largest-ever Fulbright scholarship program supporting 200 students."

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