US commitment to contain North Korea strengthened all their capabilities, including nuclear potential, US President Joe Biden told South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during a meeting on Thursday, July 11, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Reuters reports.
The leaders of the two countries also approved principles for creating an integrated deterrence system on the Korean Peninsula to counter nuclear and military threats from North Korea, Yun Suk Yeol's office said.
The document formalizes the deployment of American nuclear forces on and around the Korean Peninsula to deter and respond to potential nuclear attacks from North Korea, deputy national security adviser to South Korean leader Kim Tae-hyo said at a briefing in Washington.
Earlier, Biden and Yun Suk-yeol issued a joint statement in which they announced the signing of the Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula. "The Presidents reaffirmed their commitments under the Washington Declaration of the United States and the Republic of Korea and emphasized that any nuclear attack by the DPRK on the Republic of Korea will be met with a prompt, overwhelming, and decisive response,", " the statement said.
The South Korean President's Office said the contents of the Guidelines are classified.
Pyongyang is openly promoting its nuclear weapons policy, formalizing the possibility of using them in the event of a perceived threat against its territory. Last year, the development of North Korea's nuclear capabilities was enshrined in the country's constitution.
Earlier this year, North Korea called South Korea its “main enemy,” vowing to destroy its neighbor for colluding with the United States to start a war against it.
Seoul and Washington deny having aggressive intentions towards Pyongyang, but say they are fully prepared to resist any aggression from the North.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga