May 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26 officially adopted the Washington Declaration at their bilateral summit in Washington.

Through the declaration, both leaders pledged to ¡°engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence.¡±

The declaration said, ¡°The two Presidents announced the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and manage the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by the Democratic People¡¯s Republic of Korea (DPRK).¡±

¡°The Alliance will work to enable joint execution and planning for ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency and improve combined exercises and training activities on the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.¡±

¡°To commemorate this historic year for our Alliance, President Biden and President Yoon have committed to develop an ever-stronger mutual defense relationship and affirm in the strongest words possible their commitment to the combined defense posture under the U.S.-ROK (Republic of Korea) Mutual Defense Treaty.¡±

¡°The ROK has full confidence in U.S. extended deterrence commitments and recognizes the importance, necessity, and benefit of its enduring reliance on the U.S. nuclear deterrent.¡±

¡°The United States commits to make every effort to consult with the ROK on any possible nuclear weapons employment on the Korean Peninsula, consistent with the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review¡¯s declaratory policy, and the Alliance will maintain robust communication infrastructure to facilitate these consultations¡±

¡°President Yoon reaffirmed the ROK¡¯s longstanding commitment to its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as the cornerstone of the global nonproliferation regime as well as to the U.S.-ROK Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.¡±

Through the declaration, both presidents sent a firm message to the international community of jointly standing against all threats to the common national security of the two countries.

¡°President Yoon affirmed that the ROK will apply the full range of its capabilities to the Alliance¡¯s combined defense posture. This includes working in lockstep with the United States to closely connect the capabilities and planning activities of the new ROK Strategic Command and the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command,¡± it added.

¡°President Biden reaffirmed that the United States¡¯ commitment to the ROK and the Korean people is enduring and ironclad, and that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response.¡± He added that the U.S. commitment to extend deterrence to Korea is backed by Washington¡¯s full range of capabilities, including nuclear.

Both leaders also agreed to ¡°strengthen standing bodies for consultations on extended deterrence, including the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, to better prepare the Alliance to defend against potential attacks and nuclear use and conduct simulations to inform joint planning efforts.¡±

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