US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced a new agreement aimed at deterring North Korean aggression during a joint news conference at the White House on Wednesday. The agreement includes a commitment from the US to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since the early 1980s, as part of a wider effort to strengthen extended deterrence. The move comes as attempts to deter North Korea from further advancing its nuclear program have stalled and diplomatic efforts with dictator Kim Jong Un have gone mostly unanswered.
The new agreement, the product of months-long discussions between officials from both countries, aims to send a clear message that the US and South Korea are committed to strengthening their practices, deployments, and capabilities to ensure that the deterrent message is “absolutely unquestioned.” The US and South Korea will also strengthen their training, exercises, and simulation activities to improve their alliance’s approach to deterring and defending against North Korean threats.
The “Washington Declaration” also creates the US-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group, which will convene regularly to consult on nuclear and strategic planning issues. The group is modeled after US engagement with European allies during the height of the Cold War.
The alliance between the US and South Korea is a “linchpin of regional security and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific, Biden said. The visit signals the importance with which the US views its relationships with allies in the region, coming one week before Biden hosts Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and weeks before Biden is expected to travel to the region himself.
Beyond the declaration, Biden and Yoon are celebrating 70 years of the US-South Korea alliance. They also discussed close economic ties between the nations, cooperation on issues like climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, and ways to continue supporting Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. They are expected to announce a new student exchange program focused on STEM that will significantly increase the number of students going in both directions.
The visit began informally on Tuesday as the Bidens welcomed Yoon and his wife, Mrs. Kim Keon Hee, for an evening trip to the Korean War Memorial. The South Korean guests were formally received with an official arrival ceremony Wednesday morning on the South Lawn ahead of a bilateral meeting with the presidents and their staffs, followed by a joint press conference. The visit will conclude with a black-tie state dinner.