Shanmugam Ias Academy

Context:

U.S. President Joseph Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met on April 26, 2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK Alliance.

Introduction:

The successful launch of North Korea’s Hwasong-8 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile has led to the South Korean President’s visit to the US to advance the strategic partnership and draw up an extended nuclear deterrence plan against North Korea’s regional aggression.
Both countries signed the ‘Washington Declaration’ and have agreed to immediate bilateral presidential consultations in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack and promised a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response using the full force of the alliance, including the US’s nuclear weapons.

Washington Declaration:

Both countries signed the “Washington Declaration” as a nuclear deterrence strategy during the visit.
The Washington Declaration tries to establish a credible nuclear connection between them in response to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile provocations.
The declaration allows for the establishment of a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), giving South Korea more control over nuclear response planning and coordination.
South Korea would receive Intel from the U.S. regarding nuclear advancements.
It mentions the ‘need for peace and stability’ in the water around Taiwan and discusses issues such as the tension between China and Taiwan and Chinese military activities in the South China Sea.
According to the declaration, an American nuclear ballistic submarine would be deployed on the Korean peninsula.
It also mandates the U.S. President as the only ‘sole authority’ to use the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. in the event of a nuclear confrontation.

Significance:

The Washington Declaration aims to create a more overt and close coordination among US allies in the Indo-Pacific to deal with not only North Korea but also the moves of China and Russia.
The attempt is based on the premise that China, Russia, and North Korea, along with a few other partnerships, are challenging the regional status quo.
Under the declaration, the U.S. will strengthen South Korea’s nuclear deterrence capabilities through joint military training programs and an annual intergovernmental simulation.
The declaration reaffirmed the Non-Proliferation Treaty implying that South Korea would not venture into the creation of its own independent nuclear capabilities and would instead focus on deterrence measures through an alliance-based approach.

U.S. control over South Korea’s nuclear power:

The foreign policy objectives of South Korea are significantly influenced by the United States.
The U.S. pressured South Korea to abandon its nuclear development program and withdrew nuclear weapons from the country in the 1990s.
The U.S. wants to control global nuclear arms production, and allowing South Korea to develop its own nuclear arsenal would hinder this effort.
The U.S. is more concerned about the nuclear capabilities of North Korea, and a potential crisis or conflict on the Korean Peninsula involving multiple nuclear-armed actors.
The U.S. assures its allies that it will maintain stability in the region and protect them with its own nuclear weapons.

Global and Domestic Response:

The Washington Declaration aims to balance power dynamics against North Korea with a nuclear deterrence policy in the region.
Physical deployment of the arsenal can be seen as a direct threat by opposing actors and used as leverage to act aggressively.
China criticised the agreement, stating that it undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the strategic interests of other countries.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s sister warned that the declaration would only result in making peace and security in North-East Asia and the world exposed to more serious danger.
71% of South Koreans are sceptical about U.S. support and want to build their own nuclear weapons, according to a poll by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
Nut Graf: The US and South Korea recently signed the “Washington Declaration” which is aimed at deterring North Korean aggression. The declaration allows for the establishment of a Nuclear Consultative Group, joint military training programs, and an annual intergovernmental simulation. However, some are sceptical of US support, and China and North Korea have criticized the agreement.

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