In view of the ongoing provocation by North Korea, the USA and South Korea want to further expand their military cooperation. The United States is making "its full defense resources" available. In the case of a nuclear attack, this also means the use of nuclear weapons.
In view of the ongoing North Korean provocations, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his South Korean colleague Lee Jong-sup want to expand their military cooperation and step up military exercises. This was announced by both ministers at a joint press conference in the South Korean capital Seoul.
As in 2022, the United States wants to send strategic weapon systems such as fighter jets and aircraft carriers to the Korean peninsula this year. Military simulation games are also to take place in February. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also expressed concern in Japan about North Korean provocations.
The military tensions on the Korean peninsula have recently escalated drastically. The communist leadership under leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened a military escalation in the region and recently announced that it would expand its own nuclear arsenal "exponentially". North Korea conducts illegal weapons tests almost every month and in May 2022 launched ICBMs at sea following US President Joe Biden's visit to Asia. On December 26 last year, North Korea piloted five drones across the border into South Korean airspace.
At the press conference after his third visit to South Korea, US Secretary of Defense Austin continued to pledge US support against North Korea's "ongoing provocations" and stated that the US remains fully committed to the alliance with South Korea. For South Korea, the "extended deterrence" of North Korea promised by the US ally is particularly important. According to Austin, the US offers South Korea "deterrence through the full extent of US defense resources". This also means the use of nuclear weapons should South Korea be attacked with nuclear weapons.
At the beginning of this year, Yoon Suk-yeol, as South Korea's first president, considered the possibility of buying its own nuclear weapons - probably also because doubts were growing about the trustworthiness of the US promises and the South Korean public is becoming increasingly nervous about the constant threats from Pyongyang. However, Yoon later backed away from this plan. Stoltenberg also spoke of "provocative behavior" in Japan with reference to North Korea's nuclear program and weapons tests. In Tokyo, he said, Japan and NATO must stand united in the event of security risks emanating from China, North Korea or Russia.
