Kim Jong Un's Rising Threats Prompt US-South Korea Joint Nuclear Deterrence Guidelines

In a significant move to bolster their response to King Jong UN’s North Korea escalating nuclear threats, the United States and South Korea have signed their first joint nuclear deterrence guidelines.

What Happened: The agreement was formalized on Thursday at a NATO summit in Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lauded the “tremendous progress” of their alliance since the establishment of a joint Nuclear Consultative Group last year, AP News reported on Friday.

The guidelines, known as “the U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula,” were signed by defense officials. According to a joint statement by Biden and Yoon, the document is a crucial foundation for enhancing U.S.-South Korea cooperation comprehensively.

The U.S. and South Korea plan to conduct joint military drills to implement the deterrence guidelines. The U.S. will assign specific nuclear assets to a role in deterrence plans, but this does not mean the permanent placement of nuclear weapons in South Korea.

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Why It Matters: This development is significant as North Korea ramps up its missile testing activities and openly threatens to use nuclear weapons preemptively in potential conflicts. The guidelines represent a significant step in deterrence plans, but the allies still need to flesh out the details and conduct military exercises to test them. Discussions to strengthen nuclear response strategies against North Korean threats began last year in Seoul.

Concerns have also been raised over the potential strengthening of military ties between North Korea and Russia, which could violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. South Korea and the U.S. have expressed concerns and agreed to respond firmly to any North Korean provocations or actions that could escalate regional tensions.

This comes as North Korea has resumed trash-carrying balloon launches across the border, a move that South Korea has criticized as a “despicable and irrational provocation.” South Korea has warned it may recommence its anti-Pyongyang frontline propaganda broadcasts in retaliation.

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Image by Andy.LIU via Shutterstock

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari