President Yoon's State Visit to the U.S. After 12 Years...Advancing Legalization of 'Korean-Style Nuclear Umbrella'

President Yoon Suk-yeol will depart on the 24th for a state visit to the United States. This is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean president in 12 years since former President Lee Myung-bak in 2011, and President Yoon will be the second South Korean head of state to visit the U.S. since the Biden administration took office. At the upcoming Korea-U.S. summit, held in conjunction with President Yoon’s state visit, the two countries are expected to discuss not only economic security cooperation in semiconductors and advanced industries but also expanded deterrence measures, including formalizing the U.S. commitment to retaliate with nuclear weapons if North Korea launches a nuclear attack on South Korean territory.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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According to the Presidential Office, President Yoon is expected to discuss the formalization of the "Korean-style nuclear umbrella" during the Korea-U.S. summit with President Joe Biden on the 26th. The Korean-style nuclear umbrella is a measure proposed to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threats. It aims to document the participation of the South Korean government in the operation of U.S. nuclear assets to retaliate if North Korea launches a nuclear attack on South Korea. Previously, in September last year, the two countries established the high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) and the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in November, agreeing to enhance cooperation in extended deterrence policies through information sharing, consultation procedures, joint planning, and joint execution. A Presidential Office official stated, "Many citizens want this, and so does our government. However, whether the U.S. can provide such a (Korean-style nuclear umbrella) arrangement exclusively to us is a significant issue, so the two leaders must negotiate and decide." A senior U.S. official also explained to major foreign media on the 21st (local time) that the two countries are finalizing specific measures to enhance the effectiveness of extended deterrence at the summit, which could be formalized in a separate document after the summit.

This discussion comes amid escalating missile development and provocations by North Korea, with a seventh nuclear test imminent, and the spread of domestic calls for South Korea’s own nuclear armament. As North Korea’s missile range now extends to the U.S. mainland, the U.S. government appears to have included South Korea’s request on the agenda. The two countries share the awareness that if North Korea conducts a nuclear provocation against South Korea, immediate joint responses by South Korea and the U.S. are necessary to prevent second and third provocations. Earlier, Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, hinted at this during a briefing on the 20th, saying, "This will be an opportunity to make extended deterrence between the two countries operate more concretely," and added, "What South Korea and the U.S. are preparing now is not to place nuclear weapons on Korean soil like NATO, but the depth of consultation and breadth of cooperation will be much deeper and stronger."

It is also observed that this includes a more concrete and intuitive warning against North Korea’s nuclear provocations rather than just a general statement about strengthening extended deterrence or warnings to the Kim Jong-un regime. Until now, the SCM and the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) have only stated in joint press releases that "the U.S. will not tolerate North Korea’s nuclear attacks on its allies, which would bring about the end of the Kim Jong-un regime," and "the U.S. provides extended deterrence to the Republic of Korea by operating all categories of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons," which has been criticized for lacking specificity.

In addition, Presidents Yoon and Biden are expected to discuss at the Korea-U.S. summit the concretization of the global comprehensive strategic alliance on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance. They will focus on cooperation in advanced industries directly related to security, such as semiconductors, batteries, supply chains, and artificial intelligence (AI), support for exchanges between future generations of both countries, and strengthening cooperation on global issues such as the Ukraine war and the Taiwan Strait situation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Currently, the U.S. has prepared for President Yoon’s state visit by hanging the U.S. flag and the Taegeukgi side by side on a building next to the White House and displaying both flags along major roads in Washington D.C. In particular, advertisements commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance can be seen in various locations. The advertisements depict the U.S. honor guard in 1953 during the Korean War and the South Korean honor guard in 2023 holding the U.S. flag and Taegeukgi side by side. These advertisements have been installed near the Washington Korean Cultural Center and the former Korean Empire Consulate building. The day before, a U.S. military honor guard holding the U.S. flag and Taegeukgi also appeared in front of the White House.

In line with President Yoon’s state visit to the U.S., a tribute video honoring the "10 Korean War Heroes" will be simultaneously broadcast in major cities in both countries. The tribute video was created by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command to commemorate the Korean War, the starting point of the 70-year Korea-U.S. alliance, and to remember the alliance of values of freedom and solidarity, as well as the security alliance, while pledging another 70 years of future cooperation. In South Korea, the video will be shown on about 120 electronic billboards in Seoul starting from the 1st of next month and will expand to about 150 locations nationwide. In New York’s Times Square, the English version of the video has been broadcast approximately 680 times daily from the 20th of this month until the 3rd of next month (local time).

Meanwhile, President Yoon’s state visit to the U.S. will last for 5 nights and 7 days, from today until the 30th. During the visit, scheduled events include the Korea-U.S. summit and state banquet, visits to Korean War veterans’ memorials, a joint session address to the U.S. Congress, a speech at Harvard University, and the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable.

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