RT.com
20 Jan 2023, 20:14 GMT+10
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had said his country might obtain its own atomic weapons
South Korea is still committed to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, President Yoon Suk-yeol insisted on Thursday. Earlier this month he had asserted that Seoul could acquire its own arsenal if the North continued developing its own atomic force.
Yoon assured the Wall Street Journal that South Korea's "realistic and rational option is to fully respect the NPT regime," referring to the landmark 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear arms and relevant technologies.
The president also noted that he was "fully confident about the US's extended deterrence," a policy under which Washington provides South Korea with a "nuclear umbrella" to defend it against military threats.
By reiterating commitment to the NPT regime, Yoon stepped back from his statement of last week, when he said that South Korea "may deploy tactical nuclear weapons or come to possess its own nuclear weapons" in a short time if "the [North Korean nuclear] problem becomes more serious." Later, his office clarified that he did not actually have plans to do so.
When asked to comment on those remarks from Yoon, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby referred to the later clarification, adding that Washington and Seoul are seeking to improve extended deterrence capabilities.
The South Korean leader also told the Journal that Seoul was "preparing a stronger joint planning and joint execution in operating the US nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula."
Earlier this month, Washington and Seoul voiced conflicting positions on joint nuclear exercises. While Yoon Suk-yeol said that the two countries were in "talks on joint planning and exercises involving US nuclear assets to counter North Korea's nuclear threats," President Joe Biden denied that claim.
Washington withdrew nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula in 1991 as part of its global nuclear arms reduction efforts.
Speculation increased about South Korea possibly acquiring a nuclear arsenal after the North intensified its test missile launches, with US officials warning that Pyongyang might also test another nuclear weapon.
North Korea insists that its launches are a response to US-South Korean drills, which it views as a national security threat.
Get a daily dose of North Korea Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to North Korea Times.
More InformationRALEIGH, North Carolina: North Carolina's highest court has ruled that a mother and her teenage son can pursue a lawsuit over a COVID-19...
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: City officials in Fort Myers, Florida, voted last week to approve a new agreement allowing local police to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: With flight delays rising and aviation safety under scrutiny, the U.S. government is preparing a sweeping modernization...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for urgent safety checks on 68 bridges, including...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has announced plans to open more land for oil and gas drilling in Alaska and...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Ten Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the Pentagon to reduce military training...
NEW YORK, New York - Shares in automakers fell sharply Thursday after U.S.President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Federal safety regulators have launched a new investigation into Ford's best-selling F-150 pickup trucks after receiving...
WASHINGTON, D.C.:/SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Group is set to dramatically expand its U.S. footprint, with a US$20 billion investment that...
STANSTEAD, Quebec: U.S. authorities have decided to end a long-standing unwritten rule that allowed people from Stanstead, Quebec,...
NEW YOKK, New York - U.S. stocks fell sharply Wednesday with tech stocks, mainly those associated with AI, taking the brunt of the...
TORONTO, Canada: As the threat of U.S. tariffs looms, Canada is looking inward to strengthen its economy by removing domestic trade...