On Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed his cabinet on a trip to the United States that promised additional South Korean knowledge into nuclear war plans with North Korea.
Yoon met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington this week as South Korea worries about North Korea’s quickly developing nuclear and missile capabilities and if the U.S. will jeopardize its security to support its Asian ally.
South Koreans, including Yoon’s party leaders, want to build nuclear weapons. The U.S. “nuclear umbrella” protects South Korea from that.
“The alliance has a nuclear-based upgrade and has expanded to include supply chain, industrial, and science and technology alliances,” Yoon told his cabinet.
Yoon and Biden signed a “Washington Declaration” to establish a Nuclear Consultative Group to allow South Korea additional input into U.S. contingency planning to deter and respond to nuclear incidents in the area.
They also formed ties in supply chains, research and technology, cyber security, electric cars and batteries, quantum technologies, international aid, and economic investment. In addition, Yoon said the nuclear planning structure would improve NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group by enabling regular, high-level bilateral consultations.
He stated more U.S. “strategic assets” will be periodically deployed to South Korea to maintain an “overwhelming retaliatory posture.”
“We will build strong security, peace based on overwhelming strength, not the fake peace that relies on the good faith of the other party,” Yoon stated.
The summit’s successes, notably Yoon’s speech to Congress and surprise singing at a White House state dinner, have been hailed by some South Koreans, especially younger voters.
The opposition Democratic Party criticized a lack of movement on new U.S. electric car subsidy regulations, which South Korea thinks will affect its automakers.
A Democratic Party official stated Yoon “only sang a song at the world’s most expensive karaoke” for billions of dollars in South Korean business investment.
Realmeter’s Monday survey showed Yoon’s approval ratings rising to 34.5%, their first increase in four weeks.
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