'US-Korea Washington Declaration' US Media Mixed Reviews... "Korea Reassured," "North Korea Admits Failure in Denuclearization Efforts"

Local media in the United States evaluated the 'Washington Declaration' announced at the summit between the South Korean and U.S. leaders on the 26th (local time) as a significant advancement in the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea against North Korea's nuclear threats by strengthening extended deterrence. However, it remains unclear whether this will quell public support in South Korea for independent nuclear armament, and some critics pointed out that it effectively acknowledges the failure of efforts over the past 30 years to denuclearize North Korea.

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U.S. NBC News cited Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, who described the Washington Declaration as "symbolic," stating that it aims to reassure the South Korean public by showing that the U.S. still supports South Korea. However, he added that "it has no military value," implying that the declaration remains largely symbolic.

The New York Times (NYT) also noted that "given the very low likelihood that North Korea would make the suicidal decision to use nuclear weapons, the declaration aims to dampen the growing public opinion in South Korea favoring independent nuclear armament." However, it also pointed out that all efforts over the past 30 years?including diplomatic activities, sanctions, and development aid promises?to curb North Korea's nuclear program have failed. The NYT criticized that "President Biden’s emphasis on the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea fully acknowledges that North Korea’s arsenal remains intact."

CNN stated that "the U.S. decision to strengthen extended deterrence by employing the full range of military capabilities to defend its ally and deploy additional U.S. nuclear assets acknowledges that attempts to curb North Korea’s own nuclear program have reached an impasse." It further criticized that "as North Korea expands missile tests and potentially prepares for additional nuclear tests, diplomatic efforts with dictator Kim Jong-un have yielded no answers."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) suggested that while the declaration may reassure South Korea in the short term, it will not be sufficient in the long run given North Korea’s ongoing military buildup. Joel Wit, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center think tank and former State Department official responsible for North Korea, told WSJ that "many South Korean government and military officials will not be satisfied until they have their own (nuclear) button."

There was also an assessment that the summit holds significant meaning within the context of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at China, confirming that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is a "core pillar" of the Indo-Pacific strategy. CNN described the summit as "an important meeting held amid increasing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region and recent controversies over leaked Department of Defense classified documents." It added that "President Biden called the South Korea-U.S. alliance the 'linchpin' of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," analyzing that "more broadly, it signals that the U.S. values its relationships with allies in the Indo-Pacific region."

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