On Monday, Jan. 2, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol further ratcheted up tensions in a newspaper interview with Chosun Ilbo. In reference to Pyongyang Chairman Kim Jong Un’s call for an “exponential increase” in its nuclear arsenal, Yoon said that American nuclear weapons might need to play a more prominent role in South Korea. He said that while the United States maintains South Korea under its “nuclear umbrella” and “extended deterrence,” more is needed now. “What we call extended deterrence was also the U.S. telling us not to worry because it will take care of everything; but now, it’s difficult to convince our people with just that,” he said. “The U.S. government also understands that to some degree.”
Yoon claimed that nuclear weapons could be brought in for purposes of military exercises and training. “The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, exercises and training should be jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States,” Yoon asserted.
