Anchor: A short no by President Joe Biden prompted aides on both sides of the Pacific to offer assurances that South Korea and the U.S. are on the same page in responding to North Korea’s nuclear threats. Seoul’s presidential office reasserted that the allies are discussing ways to jointly plan and implement exercises involving U.S. nuclear assets. American officials agreed that the two sides are considering tabletop exercises to develop possible scenarios.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report:
[Upsound: U.S. President Joe Biden]
(Reporter: Mr. President, are you discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea now?)
“No.”
Getting off Marine One after landing on the South Lawn of the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden denied that he discussed “joint nuclear exercises” with South Korea.
Shortly after Biden said “no” on Monday, a ranking official from the Biden administration however clarified the position, saying that Washington is looking at enhanced joint efforts with Seoul to counter threats from North Korea.
The official told Reuters that although it would be difficult to carry out a nuclear exercise with a non-nuclear state, the allies are considering “enhanced information sharing, expanded contingencies and an eventual tabletop exercise.”
Military officials explore various war scenarios during tabletop exercises.
This came in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s interview with a local daily earlier this week, during which he said the allies are discussing ideas related to the joint planning and implementation of exercises vis-à-vis U.S. nuclear assets to ensure effective extended deterrence against North Korea. He added that Washington was positive on the matter.
Yoon’s chief press secretary Kim Eun-hye on Tuesday reconfirmed Yoon’s remarks. She argued that Biden had to respond with “no” when a reporter asked simply if the allies are discussing “joint nuclear exercises.”
The term is commonly used for drills involving nuclear weapon states, which South Korea is not, according to the press secretary.
She said the two sides are in talks over information-sharing, joint planning and implementation in relation to the operation of U.S. nuclear assets to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
In response to related inquiries by KBS on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council pointed to the South Korea-U.S. summit in Phnom Pehn in November, after which Yoon and Biden instructed their officials to come up with joint response measures to deal with various nuclear attack scenarios by North Korea.
South Korea and the U.S. have previously conducted the so-called SNOWCAT drills, short for Support of Nuclear Operations With Conventional Air Tactics, with South Korean fighter jets escorting a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber dropping a mock warhead on a target.
Source: KBS World Radio