US to boost nuclear deterrence for South Korea as tensions rise

BLOOMBERG

The US will strengthen the deterrence it provides South Korea against nuclear threats, securing a pledge from Seoul to honour commitments to not pursue its own atomic arsenal.
US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will announce the agreement when they meet at the White House, according to senior American administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The so-called Washington Declaration will lay out steps to bolster security on the Korean Peninsula, including through more regular deployments of ballistic missile submarines and by involving South Korea in strategic planning for nuclear contingencies, they said.
The level of support will be similar to that provided to Europe under the
US nuclear umbrella during the height of the Cold War, according to the officials. The arrangement does not mean US nuclear weapons would be deployed on South Korean soil, they said.
The security package comes after months of North Korean ballistic missile launches laced with threats of further nuclear tests. The US has flown bombers and deployed submarines in a show of force against North Korea and to soothe anxiety in South Korea over aggression by the regime of Kim jong-un.
Yet those actions have done little to calm the growing sentiment among South Koreans that they should seek their own nuclear weapons to deter Kim.
Yoon in the past has suggested his country could seek its own nuclear option if North Korea kept up its provocations but has backtracked.
The US agreement to bolster its military presence around the Korean peninsula may trigger an outcry from Pyongyang and Beijing.
The Biden administration briefed China on the Washington Declaration and clearly laid out its intentions, the officials said. It is intended to preserve peace and stability and China needs to understand that the US steps are intended to ease security concerns in the region, according to the officials.
The US has been disappointed that officials in Beijing haven’t used their influence with North Korea to force the regime to disarm its nuclear arsenal or reduce its provocations, they said.
The declaration will also outline ways to improve joint training and increase regular security consultations, the officials said. Washington remains committed to diplomacy with North Korea and urges Kim’s regime to return to talks.
Yoon attended a summit in March with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, another nation that hosts American troops.