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South Korea ‘has no plans’ to have nuclear weapons despite North Korea’s missile test

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100 Days of Yoon in Korea
100 Days of Yoon in Korea

South Korean President Yoon Se-yeol said his government had no plans to pursue its own nuclear deterrent despite the growing threat from North Korea.

Mr Yoon made the remarks at a news conference hours after South Korea’s military spotted North Korea firing two cruise missiles into its western waters from an area near the capital Pyongyang.

Tensions are likely to escalate further next week as the United States and South Korea launch their largest joint military training in years to counter the North Korean threat.

North Korea has described such exercises as incursion exercises and has often responded with missile tests or other provocations.

100 Days of Yoon in Korea
South Korean President Yoon Sek-yeol is seeking talks with North Korea (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)

Mr. Yoon told reporters that South Korea did not want to bring about political change in North Korea by force, calling for diplomacy aimed at building sustainable peace among rivals amid tensions over North Korea’s accelerated weapons program.

His comments came days after he offered North Korea a “bold” economic aid package to abandon its nuclear weapons program, while avoiding harsh criticism of North Korea after it threatened “lethal” retaliation for the Covid-19 outbreak, and Blame it on the South.

Mr Yoon’s proposals for large-scale aid in food and health care, as well as modernizing power and port infrastructure, are similar to previous proposals from South Korea that have been rejected by North Korea, which is accelerating its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, which leader Kim Jong-un has made. regarded as the most powerful guarantee of survival.

Still, Mr Yoon expressed hope for a “meaningful dialogue” with North Korea about his plans, stressing that if North Korea commits to a real “road map” to abandon its weapons program entirely.

“We didn’t tell them ‘completely denuclearize first, and then we’ll deliver’,” Mr Yin said. “What we’re saying is that as long as they show a strong commitment (to denuclearization), we will deliver what we can according to their steps.”

Relations between North Korea and the United States have soured amid a stalemate in larger nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States, which derailed in early 2019 over disagreements over easing severe U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea in exchange for disarmament measures.

North Korea has ramped up its missile tests to a record pace in 2022 and has so far launched more than 30 ballistic weapons, including its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in nearly five years.

Virus outbreak in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un steps up nuclear tests (KCNA/Korea News Agency via AP)

Experts say the intensified testing campaign underscores North Korea’s dual intentions of advancing its nuclear arsenal and forcing the United States to embrace the idea of ​​North Korea as a nuclear power so it can negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

Kim Jong-un is likely to up the ante as soon as there are signs that North Korea is preparing for its first nuclear test since September 2017, when North Korea claimed to have developed a thermonuclear weapon to fit its intercontinental ballistic missile.

While ICBMs have gained international attention, North Korea is also expanding the range of its short-range nuclear-capable missiles that can target South Korea.

Kim Jong-un has emphasized his weapons development, threatening to actively use nuclear weapons in a conflict with the South or the United States, which experts say conveys an escalating nuclear doctrine that could raise concerns among his neighbors.

Mr Yin has vowed to bolster the South’s defenses through an alliance with the United States, resume large-scale military training that was canceled or scaled down under the Trump administration, and bolster the South’s missile defenses.

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