SEOUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) – South Korea and the United States are discussing the possibility of jointly holding military exercises that include US nuclear assets amid a growing threat from North Korea, the South Korean president said. with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper published on Monday.
These joint maneuvers, the leader added, would aim to make the implementation of the “extended deterrence” of the United States more effective – a reference to the ability of the US military, through its nuclear power in particular, to deter any attack against Washington’s allies.
“Nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but preparation, information sharing, exercises and training should be conducted jointly by South Korea and the United States,” said Yoon Suk-yeol, noting that Washington was ” pretty positive” about the idea.
The comments come after Pyongyang launched a new ballistic missile launch for the New Year, as official North Korean media reported to the crowd that Kim Jong-un had ordered the development of new missiles and the mass production of nuclear weapons. (Soo-hyang Choi report; Jean Terzian French version)
