The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 8th that consultations were underway in response to reports from foreign media that the US government had sought to establish a trilateral trilateral consultative body to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the same day, “The ROK and the US are operating various consultative bodies to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. told
Prior to this, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun cited multiple sources on US-Japan relations and said, “The US government has sounded out the establishment of a new permanent consultative body on nuclear deterrence in both Korea and Japan.” It appears to be,’ he reported.
According to Yomiuri, the U.S. proposal is aimed at increasing the trust between South Korea and Japan in extended deterrence. “Extended deterrence” refers to the concept that the United States provides deterrence capabilities, such as nuclear capabilities, conventional forces, and missile defense capabilities, to a level commensurate with the defense of the US homeland in order to protect allies from nuclear and missile threats from adversaries.
President Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and US President Joe Biden. (Provided by the Office of the President) 2022.11.14In addition, regarding the issue of Korea’s participation in the working group of the quad (US, Japan, Australia, and India) consultative body, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We will continue to make efforts to accelerate participation.”
A senior South Korean government official visiting Washington, DC, also said at a meeting with correspondents on the 7th (local time), “I actively sympathize with the participation in the Quad working group.”
The Quad is an informal consultative body that is being used by the US administration as the center of the implementation of the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy by Joe Biden.
The Korean government has been conscious of its relationship with China even before the inauguration of former President Moon Jae-in, and has shown a distance from the quad, saying, “We do not participate in meetings exclusive to certain countries.” However, since the inauguration of President Yoon Seok-yeol in May of last year, he has made ‘strengthening and developing the ROK-US alliance’ a top priority in the field of diplomacy and is actively seeking cooperation.
As a result, it is expected that relevant matters will be dealt with in importance at President Yoon’s state visit to the United States and the summit meeting with President Biden scheduled for April this year.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The countries participating in the quad share values and norms such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and market economy with us, so we believe that there is great potential for cooperation. The United States also expressed sympathy for the usefulness of cooperation between us and QUAD,” he said. said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.