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President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled at the White House Wednesday a new agreement designed to deter North Korea from launching a nuclear attack, including the deployment of a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in nearly 40 years.
The arrangement, which is dubbed the “Washington Declaration,” was the centerpiece of Mr. Yoon’s visit to Washington as Mr. Biden hosted him for a bilateral meeting, joint press conference, and state dinner at the White House.
South Korea already benefits from protection under the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” which is the nuclear-powered nation’s guarantee to defend a non-nuclear ally.
But North Korea has become increasingly aggressive in testing nuclear missiles and shown little interest in diplomacy about reducing its nuclear stockpile, raising alarms in Seoul and Japan.
Pyongyang has launched 100 missiles since 2022 and earlier this month tested a solid-fuel intercontinental missile, a possible breakthrough in its efforts to produce more powerful weaponry that can reach the U.S.
Mr. Biden issued a stern warning to Pyongyang during a joint press conference with Mr. Yoon in the White House Rose Garden.
“A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies or partisans — partners — is unacceptable and would result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action,” he said.
The agreement will enable the U.S. and South Korea to better coordinate a strategy if North Korea attacks Seoul, but also keeps nuclear weapons under U.S. control. Mr. Biden emphasized that the U.S. will not be stationing nuclear weapons on the peninsula.
Under the Washington Declaration, the U.S. will make its deterrent efforts more visible on the Korean peninsula through the regular deployment of strategic assets, including a U.S. nuclear submarine. The last time a U.S. nuclear submarine docked in South Korea was in the early 1980s.
In exchange, South Korea committed to not restarting its own nuclear program, which it abandoned 50 years ago when it signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
