Yoon Visits Pentagon: "Trust in US Extended Deterrence... North Korea's Nuclear Use Will Face Overwhelming Response" (Comprehensive Report 2)

Yoon, First Korean President to Visit Pentagon's Core NMCC
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ROK-US Washington Declaration Reaffirmed, Emphasis on Combined Defense Posture
Austin: "US Defense Commitment to ROK as Strong as Steel"
First Foreign Leader to Visit DARPA, Reviews Operations and Technology

During his state visit to the United States, President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the National Military Command Center (NMCC) at the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) on the 27th (local time) and stated, "We fully trust the United States' firm extended deterrence commitment."

The NMCC is a key U.S. defense facility that directly supports the U.S. President and major military commanders in times of emergency, and this marks the first time a South Korean president has visited it. Previously, Presidents Lee Myung-bak in 2011 and Park Geun-hye in 2015 visited the Pentagon, but toured other facilities within the Pentagon.

Following the adoption of the "Washington Declaration" at the Korea-U.S. summit with U.S. President Joe Biden the previous day, which focused on strengthening the U.S. extended deterrence for South Korea, President Yoon visited the Pentagon NMCC to emphasize the firm Korea-U.S. combined defense posture.

On the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon NMCC and received a situation briefing on strategic surveillance and crisis response systems. He stated, "If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face a resolute and overwhelming response from the Korea-U.S. alliance and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, including the U.S. nuclear capabilities."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin salute the national flags in accordance with the national anthems of both countries at the Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defense, Washington DC, on the 27th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon specifically mentioned, "The two countries have agreed to establish practical measures to strengthen the alliance's extended deterrence capabilities, including joint planning and training exercises involving U.S. nuclear forces." He added, "Our government will firmly respond to North Korea's threats based on a solid Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," emphasizing, "Regarding North Korea's nuclear missile threats, we will build overwhelming response capabilities and retaliation postures, including the Korean-style 3-axis system." This refers to the "Washington Declaration," which includes the agreement to establish a "Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)" reached with President Biden the previous day.

President Yoon criticized North Korea for increasing provocations amid its advancement of nuclear and missile technologies, saying it is attempting to pressure the Korea-U.S. alliance and create cracks within it. He stated, "We will further strengthen Korea-U.S. combined exercises and training and expand Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation," urging, "North Korea should realize that nothing can be achieved with nuclear weapons and make a denuclearization decision for true peace and shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."

President Yoon emphasized, "The Korea-U.S. alliance has established itself as a core pillar maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia for the past 70 years," and added, "I look forward to advancing the Korea-U.S. alliance, which shares universal values, into a global comprehensive strategic alliance and moving forward together toward the future."

In response, Secretary Austin said, "The Republic of Korea has been our steadfast friend for decades. Our reliance on South Korea grows day by day, and we are deeply grateful for that," evaluating, "Over the past 70 years, our alliance has developed into the most robust, capable, and interoperable alliance. This has helped deter major conflicts and invasions on the Korean Peninsula."

He reiterated the U.S. commitment to South Korea's defense. Secretary Austin explained, "The U.S. commitment to defend the Republic of Korea is ironclad. Our extended deterrence commitment is the same," adding, "This includes the full range of U.S. capabilities, conventional, nuclear, and missile defense weapons." Furthermore, he emphasized, "The Republic of Korea and the United States share a common vision rooted in freedom, democracy, and the rule of law," and stated, "Our alliance forms a major pillar of the vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. I am confident we will move forward together in this direction."

U.S. military leaders including Secretary Austin, Colin Kahl, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Paul LaCamera, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and Philip Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, were present. On the Korean side, National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong, Foreign Minister Park Jin, Deputy Minister of Defense Shin Beom-chul, and Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong attended.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin salute the national flags in accordance with the national anthems of both countries at the Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defense, Washington DC, on the 27th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, President Yoon became the first foreign president to visit the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA is an agency that plans long-term U.S. defense research and development programs, where advanced technologies such as the internet and voice recognition were first developed.

President Yoon received a briefing on overall operations and toured an exhibition of advanced technologies under research planning and support at DARPA, according to a written briefing by spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

President Yoon's visit to DARPA was aimed at directly observing the site of U.S. national science and technology innovation to gain wisdom necessary for defense innovation and fostering a science and technology-strong military in South Korea, as well as to strengthen Korea-U.S. scientific and technological cooperation.

At the event, President Yoon stated, "Currently, the Republic of Korea's military is pursuing a leap to a science and technology-strong military through powerful defense innovation, fundamentally transforming military systems by integrating advanced science and technology."

He continued, "Our country recognizes that advanced science and technology development is a crucial factor for economic development and national security, and we are cooperating with world-leading institutions," adding, "We hope to strengthen scientific and technological cooperation with DARPA, including expanding the participation of Korean scientists in advanced science and technology fields."

The DARPA director explained the agency's mission, role, organizational structure, project management, success factors, and international cooperation during the briefing. President Yoon showed interest in DARPA's future vision and Korea-U.S. mutual cooperation by asking questions such as "What are the future challenge areas DARPA envisions?" and "Considering the Republic of Korea's security environment and technological development conditions, which areas are suitable for cooperation with us?"

After touring the exhibition of advanced technologies under research planning and support at DARPA, President Yoon listened to detailed explanations from the project managers about the purpose, development status, and future utilization plans of the technologies. After the event, President Yoon said, "It was a very meaningful time to communicate directly with all of you at the forefront of advanced science and technology innovation."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting staff during his visit to the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) in Washington DC on the 27th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

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