“Biden to promise ‘substantial’ steps to deter North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea in meeting with Yoon Seok Yeol”

During a meeting with South Korean leader Yoon Seok Yeol next week, US President Joe Biden will promise “substantial” steps to deter a possible North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea.

Source: senior US official commenting Reuters

Direct speech: “We are working very intensively with the South Koreans to take the necessary measures to support both public opinion and the reality of our commitments.”

Details: The official called one of the biggest US achievements that a number of countries in the Indo-Pacific region that could create nuclear weapons decided not to do so because of the protection of the so-called “nuclear umbrella” of the United States.

Direct speech: “We have made it very clear that our commitment to nuclear deterrence remains unchanged for South Korea…

President Biden … will talk about significant steps to highlight this, update it, make it clear that no one doubts our allegiance to South Korea, even in the face of provocations from North Korea, saber-rattling from Russia, and outright ambition to build up nuclear capability from China.

More details: The official did not detail these steps, saying only that they would include “various things, ranging from certain types of settlements to our actual activities, as well as some high-level commitments between the United States and South Korea.”

A growing number of South Koreans say their country should develop its nuclear arsenal to defend against an attack from a nuclear North Korea, Reuters notes. According to a poll released on April 6 by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, 64.3% of South Koreans supported the development of nuclear weapons, while 33.3% opposed it.

The poll showed that 52.9% of South Koreans were confident that the United States would use nuclear weapons to defend South Korea in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. But that figure dropped to 43.1% when asked if they thought the US would risk its security to protect South Korea, 54.2% said the US would not take such a risk.