South Korea-US summit adopts joint statement on 'Korean Peninsula Nuclear Deterrence Nuclear Operation Guidelines'

On the 11th (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed the “Washington Declaration” last year that strengthened the South Korea-U.S. alliance into a nuclear-based alliance, and adopted the “Joint Statement on the Guidelines for South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula,” which is centered on responding strongly to North Korea’s nuclear provocations.

Photo: President Yoon Seok-yeol shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Korea-U.S. summit held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., U.S. on the 11th (local time). (Source: Presidential Office website)

The two leaders praised the remarkable achievement of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), established in July of last year in accordance with the Washington Declaration agreement in April, by completing the “ROK-US Korean Peninsula Nuclear Deterrence Nuclear Operation Guidelines” in just one year.

In response, President Yoon said, “I am very pleased that a joint statement approving the ROK-U.S. nuclear operation guidelines was issued in our two names,” and “This completes the foundation for an integrated extended deterrence between ROK and the U.S.”

President Biden said, “Let’s further strengthen the ROK-US alliance and ROK-US-Japan cooperation and accomplish many things in the region.”

In addition, the two leaders strongly criticized Russia and North Korea for concluding the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to strengthen mutual military and economic cooperation while continuing illegal military cooperation, and agreed to firmly respond together with the international community to Russia-North Korea cooperation that violates UN Security Council resolutions by maintaining a strong joint defense posture between South Korea and the United States.

President Yoon said that he would lead Korea and the United States to respond in unison with NATO and partner countries, and President Biden responded that he would always stand with Korea.

According to the Office of the President, since the NCG was launched in July of last year to strengthen extended deterrence in accordance with the Washington Declaration, South Korea and the United States have been intensively discussing the alliance’s nuclear strategy planning.

The primary task of the ROK-US NCG was to prepare a document that provides principles and guidance on the alliance’s nuclear deterrence policy and nuclear posture. The two governments agreed on the text last June after an intensive discussion process.

Following this, an official signing took place between the NCG representatives of the two countries’ defense ministries on the same day, and the ‘ROK-US Nuclear Deterrence Nuclear Operations Guidelines’ were completed as President Yoon Seok-yeol and President Biden approved it through a joint statement.

Kim Tae-hyo, First Vice Director of the National Security Office, said, “With this, the ‘ROK-U.S. integrated extended deterrence’ system has been established.”

Vice Minister Kim emphasized, “The phrase ‘ROK and the US are together’ means that while the existing extended deterrence was something the US decided and provided, it has now evolved into an extended deterrence in which our organization, our personnel, and our assets are together with the US in terms of nuclear operation on the Korean Peninsula.”

“Conventional-Nuclear Integration” refers to nuclear and conventional integration, and Vice Minister Kim explained that the U.S. nuclear power and our advanced conventional power will be integrated to deter and respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

“To this end, the U.S. has assured that U.S. nuclear assets necessary for deterring and responding to North Korea’s nuclear program will be assigned missions on the Korean Peninsula, regardless of whether it is wartime or peacetime,” said Vice Minister Kim, adding that “the U.S. nuclear weapons will be specifically assigned missions on the Korean Peninsula.”

The United States has declared that it will provide South Korea with all categories of capabilities, including nuclear weapons, but this is the first time that it has explicitly stated in writing that U.S. nuclear assets will be assigned the mission of deterring and responding to North Korea’s nuclear program.

Vice Minister Kim evaluated, “Through nuclear and conventional integration, our military has acquired practical nuclear response capabilities and readiness by sharing information, consulting, planning, practicing, training, and conducting operations with the U.S. military related to nuclear operations on the Korean Peninsula.”

In addition, the two countries have established nuclear consultation procedures between governments at all levels, including communication between the leaders of South Korea and the United States in the event of a nuclear crisis, through guidelines, and have established a “nuclear consultation communication system” to support this, which enables immediate communication and maintains security.

In addition, we decided to expand the sharing of sensitive nuclear information and introduced security procedures and systems for this purpose.

It also stated that the United States provides advanced training courses for the purpose of improving our personnel’s understanding of nuclear strategy, nuclear policy, and nuclear planning, or “nuclear IQ.”

Vice Minister Kim emphasized the significance of the joint guidelines, saying, “Through the derivation of these guidelines, the ROK-US alliance has been firmly elevated to a true nuclear-based alliance.”

Going forward, South Korea and the U.S. plan to continue holding NCG meetings and successfully implement the “South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations Guidelines” through simulations, map-based exercises, joint drills, and training, and maintain a posture that can respond quickly and effectively to any type of North Korean nuclear threat.

The ‘ROK-US Korean Peninsula Nuclear Deterrence Nuclear Operation Guidelines’ adopted this time will be posted on both the US White House and the Yongsan Presidential Office website in Korea.