'Allies agreed to use nukes during NK invasion'

By Jun Ji-hye

Leon Panetta

The United Stated got the consent of South Korea to use nuclear weapons in response to a North Korean invasion of the South, according to Leon Panetta, former U.S. defense secretary in the Obama administration.

In his recently published memoir entitled “Worthy Fights,” Panetta, who was also a former CIA director, said the U.S. reached that agreement with Seoul in October 2011, when President Park Geun-hye’s predecessor Lee Myung-bak was in office.

In the 512-page memoir, Panetta said the two sides confirmed their long-time pledge regarding security on the Korean Peninsula to defend the South ― including the possible use of nuclear weapons against the Stalinist state ― if Pyongyang invaded South Korea.

At the time, Panetta was visiting Seoul for the annual Security Consultative Meeting where defense chiefs from the two countries sit down for talks.

At a news conference after the meeting, Panetta told reporters North Korea “remains a serious threat,” and the U.S. “continues to be fully committed to the security” of South Korea.

“Together, we will ensure a strong and effective alliance deterrence posture, including the U.S. nuclear umbrella, so that Pyongyang never misjudges our will and our capability to respond decisively to nuclear aggression,” he said.

Panetta also disclosed an anecdote that Walter Sharp, then commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, made a report that in the event of an invasion from Pyongyang, the U.S. commander had the right to order troops of both Seoul and Washington to use nuclear weapons if necessary. That was in 2010 when Panetta was serving as CIA director.

His remark drew keen attention here as it was interpreted as Washington’s clear intention to punish the reclusive state while defending Seoul in a contingency situation on the peninsula. Some have been arguing that the country’s promise to supply a nuclear umbrella seemed unreliable.

With regard to a missile attack against the U.S. mainland, Panetta said the North is considered a bigger threat than China or Russia. He described the despotic regime as the most troublesome in the world, adding that the U.S. government has been spending a considerable amount of time and money to predict what it will do next.

Panetta also argued that China’s influence on Pyongyang was limited. As CIA director and defense secretary, he pressed China to control the North, but the task was difficult even for China, he said.

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