Yonhap – Yoon warns of ‘overwhelming’ response to N. Korea’s nuclear weapons use

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Yonhap) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Thursday that North Korea will be met with an “overwhelming” nuclear response in the event it tries to use nuclear weapons.

Yoon issued the warning during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, saying he agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden the previous day to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea.

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to mobilizing all of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) chats with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a visit to the Pentagon near Washington on April 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

“Should North Korea attempt to use nuclear weapons, it will be faced with a resolute and overwhelming response, including the U.S.’ nuclear capabilities, from the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces,” Yoon said.

“I urge North Korea to realize that it can do nothing with nuclear weapons and decide to denuclearize for true peace and mutual prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

Yoon also expressed confidence in the U.S., saying, “I fully trust the United States’ firm extended deterrence commitment.”

Yoon recalled North Korea’s recent test of a solid-fuel long-range ballistic missile and other provocations, saying the regime is likely to try to put pressure on South Korea and the U.S. and divide the alliance through various forms of provocations in the future.

“Our government will firmly respond to North Korea’s threats based on an unwavering South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture,” he said.

“We will further strengthen South Korea-U.S. combined exercises and drills, and expand security cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan,” he added.

Austin assured Yoon that the U.S.’ extended deterrence commitment covers the full range of U.S. capabilities, including conventional, nuclear and missile defense capabilities.

Yoon, who is on a state visit to the U.S., later visited the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center (NMCC), where he was briefed on U.S. strategic surveillance and crisis response systems, the presidential office said.

The NMCC is a key command and control center inside the Pentagon that directly assists the U.S. president and military commanders in emergencies, the presidential office said, noting Yoon was the first South Korean president to visit the center.

Yoon then paid a visit to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to discuss ways to create a research environment that fosters creativity and leads to technological innovations, and to explore ways to strengthen cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. on defense science and technology.

Yoon was the first foreign leader to visit DARPA, his office said.