Choi Jong-geon: "US-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group? It Means Not to Arm Korea with Nuclear Weapons Independently"

MBC Radio Kim Jong-bae Focus Interview
"NCG, Vice Minister-level Consultative Body... Contradictory"

Choi Jong-geon, a Yonsei University professor who served as the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Moon Jae-in administration, interpreted the official adoption of the Washington Declaration and the announcement of the establishment of the nuclear consultative group (Consultative Group·NCG), a bilateral consultative body, at the Korea-US summit on the 27th as "a message not to talk about independent nuclear armament."

Professor Choi said in an interview on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the morning of the same day, "The establishment of the NCG is included in the Washington Declaration, and this is a kind of highlight of the state visit."

He explained, "There is a message sent to North Korea, but the message sent to us seems bigger," adding, "The sentence 'President Yoon Suk-yeol complies with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)' appears, which means not to talk about independent nuclear armament." He further elaborated, "It means 'let's stop it now' because the Korea-US alliance, through its long history, has been about confirming and reaffirming mutual commitments, so don't talk about independent nuclear armament."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a state visit to the United States, shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at the official welcoming ceremony held at the White House in Washington DC on the 26th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The full text of the Washington Declaration provided by the Presidential Office includes the sentence, "President Yoon Suk-yeol reaffirmed South Korea's longstanding commitment to the obligations under the NPT, the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime, and compliance with the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America on Cooperation for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy."

Professor Choi added, "Until the Moon Jae-in administration, even though there was a nuclear threat from North Korea, the focus was on strengthening the alliance," and said, "Suddenly, the newly emerged conservative government says, 'We don't trust the US extended deterrence commitment. Put it in writing,' and 'Put your assets over there.' This is causing fatigue on the US side as well."

Professor Choi viewed the NCG, which is to be newly established between Korea and the US, as a deputy minister-level consultative body and found it contradictory. He said, "So far, there have been extended deterrence-related meetings between Korea and the US, such as the 2+2 meetings, and the EDSCG, an extended deterrence (strategic) consultative body involving our Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs vice ministers and their counterparts in the US Department of Defense and Department of State. Although the two presidents declared it as the Washington Declaration, the consultative body itself has been downgraded to a deputy minister level. We will have to see how it proceeds in the future."

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