South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint exercises using U.S. nuclear assets, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un labelled the South as its “undoubted enemy” in flaring cross-border tensions.
“The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, exercises and training should be jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States,” Yoon said in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper published on Monday.
The newspaper quoted Yoon as saying the joint planning and exercises would be aimed at a more effective implementation of the U.S. “extended deterrence,” and that Washington was also “quite positive” about the idea.
The term “extended deterrence” means the ability of the U.S. military, particularly its nuclear forces, to deter attacks on U.S. allies.
A Pentagon spokesperson said: “We have nothing to announce today,” when asked about Yoon’s comments, adding that the alliance remains “rock-solid.”