U.S. President Joe Biden denied Monday that he is currently negotiating joint nuclear exercises with South Korea after his South Korean counterpart made such an announcement.
Biden, asked by a reporter at the White House whether he is «discussing right now joint nuclear exercises with South Korea,» replied «no,» without elaborating.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced Monday morning that his government is in talks with Washington to negotiate joint nuclear planning in response to North Korean threats.
«South Korea and the United States are discussing ways to operate U.S. nuclear forces under the concept of ‘joint planning’ (…) Nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but information sharing, planning and training should be conducted jointly,» Yoon said in an interview with the ‘Chosun Ilbo’ newspaper.
Seoul noted that the idea is for the Biden Administration to provide a «nuclear umbrella or extended deterrence» to the country, which should not «worry,» even though «it is difficult to convince the public in this regard.»
These statements have been made public one day after his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, announced «the need for a massive production of tactical nuclear weapons», while labeling his southern neighbor as the «undoubted enemy», as reported by the KCNA news agency.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
