[Full Text] South Korea-US Leaders' 'Washington Declaration'

by Bae Kyunghwan

Published 27 Apr.2023 04:22(KST)

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden held a summit at the White House on the 26th (local time) and adopted the "Washington Declaration," which includes the enhancement of extended deterrence. President Yoon stated, "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."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Below is the unofficial Korean translation of the Washington Declaration distributed by the Presidential Office.

President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea and President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America met today, April 26, 2023, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Our two nations’ alliance was forged through shared sacrifices and strengthened by enduring security cooperation, developing through close solidarity that enabled the peaceful achievement of vital and strategic undertakings utilizing the diplomatic capabilities of both countries. The ROK-U.S. alliance, which began as a security partnership, has grown and expanded into a true global alliance that upholds the principles of democracy, strengthens economic cooperation, and leads technological advancement. Our alliance has always risen resiliently to successive challenges and responded to evolving threats on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific.

To commemorate this historic year for our alliance, President Yoon and President Biden have pledged to develop a further strengthened mutual defense relationship and reaffirm with the strongest language their commitment to maintaining a combined defense posture under the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. The Republic of Korea and the United States will work together for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and the measures we take jointly will further advance these fundamental goals.

Korea fully trusts the United States’ extended deterrence commitment and recognizes the importance, necessity, and benefits of Korea’s continued reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence. The United States pledges, in accordance with the declaratory policy of the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, to make every effort to consult with Korea on any possible use of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, and the ROK-U.S. alliance will maintain a robust communication infrastructure to facilitate such consultations. President Yoon reaffirmed Korea’s long-standing commitment to the obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the cornerstone of the international nonproliferation regime, and compliance with the Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

The ROK-U.S. alliance commits to engaging in deeper and more cooperative policy-making on nuclear deterrence, including enhancing communication and information sharing regarding the increasing nuclear threats to Korea and the region. The two leaders declared the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG) to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and manage North Korea’s threats to the nonproliferation regime. Furthermore, the ROK-U.S. alliance will cooperate to enable joint execution and planning of U.S. nuclear operations with Korean conventional support in contingencies and will enhance combined education and training activities related to the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. To implement the leaders’ commitments, the ROK-U.S. alliance has introduced a new interagency tabletop simulation between the two countries to strengthen the joint approach to nuclear contingency planning.

President Biden reaffirmed that the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to Korea and the Korean people is enduring and ironclad, and that any nuclear attack by North Korea against Korea will face an immediate, overwhelming, and decisive response. President Biden emphasized that U.S. extended deterrence for Korea is supported by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. Moreover, as demonstrated by the upcoming port visits of U.S. strategic nuclear submarines to Korea, the United States will further enhance the regular visibility of its strategic assets in Korea and expand and deepen military cooperation between the two countries. Additionally, the Republic of Korea and the United States will strengthen intergovernmental standing consultative bodies on extended deterrence, including the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), to better prepare the ROK-U.S. alliance for potential attacks and nuclear use, and will conduct simulations to inform joint planning efforts.

President Yoon confirmed that Korea will contribute all its capabilities to the ROK-U.S. alliance’s combined defense posture. This includes robust cooperation to closely link the capabilities and planning activities between Korea’s new Strategic Command and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. These activities include new tabletop exercises conducted jointly with the U.S. Strategic Command.

In light of these significant developments, President Yoon and President Biden send a resolute message to the international community that they will stand together against all threats to the shared security of both countries and will continue close consultations on future measures to strengthen extended deterrence. At the same time, the two leaders firmly pursue unconditional dialogue and diplomacy with North Korea as a means to advance the shared goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.