Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
'Washington Declaration is nuclear-based upgrade of ROK-US alliance'
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
By Nam Hyun-woo
NCG gives Seoul greater voice in US nuclear planning: Yoon
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol said, Tuesday, the Washington Declaration, which he signed with U.S. President Joe Biden during last week's summit, is “a nuclear-based paradigm upgrade” in the security alliance between the two countries, hailing it as being “more effective than NATO's nuclear planning group.”
Yoon made those remarks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office, two days after he returned home from a six-day state visit to the United States. He recalled key achievements during his trip and reiterated the benefits of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, saying, “We should be able to express gratitude when there is something we are thankful for.”
“The Washington Declaration states the leaders' plans for extended deterrence and contains the action plans for the South Korean version of extended deterrence,” Yoon said. “With the declaration, the security alliance between South Korea and the U.S. has been upgraded to a nuclear-based new paradigm.”
During the summit on April 26, Yoon and Biden signed the declaration in order to more effectively deter North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats. It contains details on establishing a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between the two allies and deploying U.S. strategic assets such as nuclear ballistic missile submarines to South Korea on a regular basis.
“The NCG, which will be a high-ranking standing consultative body between the two countries, is more effective than NATO's nuclear planning group (NPG), because it enables deeper and more frequent one-on-one conversations between South Korea and the U.S.,” Yoon said.
The Washington Declaration states that the NCG will strengthen extended deterrence, discuss nuclear and strategic planning and manage the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by North Korea. This means that Seoul can have a say in the U.S. nuclear planning process related to Pyongyang.
As Seoul is not a nuclear state and the U.S. does not plan to bring its nuclear weapons back to the Korean Peninsula, the NCG is one of the most powerful options that the allies can take to deter Pyongyang's threats, according to the presidential office.
In comparison, NATO's nuclear sharing policy allows its European members to host U.S. nuclear weapons, but its NPG allows 29 countries to take part in nuclear planning once a year, thus making them share political responsibility and risks.
In that respect, South Korea's Director of National Security Cho Tae-yong said in an interview with broadcaster YTN on Monday, “Our NCG allows one-on-one consultations every quarter and it clearly shows that we have a bigger say in the NCG than the NPG members do.”
During the Cabinet meeting, Yoon reiterated the benefits of the South Korea-U.S. alliance during the past 70 years and said the achievements of the latest summit will provide “greater opportunities for the people of both countries.”
“Forging an alliance with the world's most powerful nation for 70 years has a significant meaning and this history is not something we should take for granted,” Yoon said.
“This is what gives us dignity as a nation and allows us to properly establish ourselves and work within the international community,” he added.
The comments are interpreted as his refutation of criticism from opposition lawmakers that South Korea adopted a “submissive stance” to the U.S. and became “a global easy mark.”
“During the summit, it seems that no solutions have been secured regarding the issues of semiconductors and automobiles in relation to the United States and Yoon raised unnecessary tensions with China and Russia causing serious obstacles to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula,” main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said, Monday.
Lee was referring to hopes that the U.S. would make alterations to its Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at scrapping tax credits for electric vehicles not made in North America and curbing China's power in the global IT market, but are viewed here as favoring American businesses.
Yoon said the alliance has built “five pillars of security, industry, science technology, culture and information on the basis of a value-based alliance” during his summit, and asked Cabinet members to do their best for follow-up measures to enable the synergy between those areas.
Presidential office staff members watch the presidential office from Yongsan Children's Garden in Seoul, Tuesday. The garden will be open to the public from Thursday. Yonhap
Children's garden
Meanwhile, Yoon's office said it will open to the public starting Thursday a children's garden in front of the presidential office. The garden, named Yongsan Children's Garden, is part of Yongsan Park, which will be created on a 2.98-square-kilometer site formerly occupied by the U.S. Army Yongsan Garrison.
The area had been off limits to the public for 120 years, because it was used as military bases of the Qing dynasty, Imperial Japan and the U.S.
In the 2000s, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to relocate the U.S. military base to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province and return the Yongsan site to Seoul. South Korea decided to set up a park in the area and 584,000 square meters of land was returned last year. Of that, 300,000 square meters close to the presidential office was renovated as Yongsan Children's Garden.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol has kept his promise to get closer to the people by opening the Yongsan Children's Garden on the occasion of his first anniversary in office,” an official at the presidential office said. “While working to create a space for future generations, we will also expand communication with the public.”