The Seoul government leader said the United States and South Korea are discussing a plan that would give the South Korean military a greater role in the US nuclear force.
President Yoon Suk-yeol gave an interview to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, published on Monday, and said: Seoul’s leaders have opened their joint discussions with the United States. In the case of plans for joint exercises with Washington’s nuclear forces It is a plan that the South Korean leader has said. would lead to operations similar to “nuclear sharing”
President Yoon said in an interview that “Nuclear weapons belong to the United States. But South Korea and the United States must share information, projects and training together and the United States has also expressed strong support for this idea”.
VOA asked the US agency for an opinion. on this, but did not confirm Was there really such a discussion?, while a US military representative in South Korea asked reporters to question the Pentagon on the matter. who has not yet responded during the production of this news
The United States has not deployed nuclear weapons to South Korea since the 1990s after it withdrew its “tactical nuclear weapons” from the Korean peninsula. according to the disarmament plan agreed with the Soviet Union since then Korea is protected by the United States through a “nuclear umbrella” program in which Washington has promised to use all its forces. This includes nuclear weapons. to help protect this alliance
But in a recent interview, President Yoon said the concept was outdated, adding that “what we call a ‘extended deterrence’ means that the United States will have to take care of everything, so South Korea should worry about nothing.” . It’s hard to convince people of this concept.”
North Korea’s increasingly hostile attitude has led to a growing number of high-profile South Koreans already calling on the government to have its own nuclear defense system.
A Hankook Research study released on Monday showed that 67 percent of South Koreans support the country’s nuclear weapons.
During the presidential campaign, conservative President Yoon said: He will ask the United States Support South Korea by deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the region. or a NATO-style agreement with South Korea that South Korean soldiers be trained in the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict, but the US State Department has already come out to reject both proposals.
Many analysts believe the United States is unlikely to approve nuclear support for South Korea. Because doing so would conflict with the Washington government’s global disarmament goals of mass destruction, including the Korean peninsula’s nuclear disarmament program.
However, Kurt Campbell, the White House policy coordinator for Asian affairs, admitted last month that the “nuclear umbrella” plan was “facing challenges” from a number of factors. including North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program and China’s massive nuclear upgrade
However, many analysts have warned that South Korea’s nuclear weapons could be disastrous. and may lead to international sanctions Increasing pressure from neighboring countries and leading There is a “nuclear domino effect” that could allow North Asian countries to continue to obtain their own nuclear weapons.
- Source: VOA
