Presidential office urges against 'obsessing' over use of term 'nuclear sharing'

By Lee Haye-ah

BOSTON, April 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's presidential office dismissed reports of a gap between Seoul and Washington in their interpretation of a recent declaration on extended deterrence, saying there is no need to "obsess" over terminology such as "nuclear sharing."

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden adopted a statement, dubbed the Washington Declaration, at their summit on Wednesday, under which the allies agreed to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea through the establishment of a Nuclear Consultative Group and more frequent deployments of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea.

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to mobilizing all of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters the Washington Declaration will enable the South Korean people to "effectively feel that they are sharing nuclear weapons with the United States."

A White House National Security Council official later told reporters, however, that the U.S. does not see the agreement as "a de facto nuclear sharing," prompting questions about a possible gap in the allies' interpretations.

"There's no need to obsess too much over terminology," a presidential official told reporters in Boston, where Yoon is on the second leg of his state visit to the U.S.

"I think the U.S. has a definition of nuclear sharing in a dictionary, political and military sense," the official said, suggesting the White House official was referring to the type of nuclear sharing established among member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"The Washington Declaration is a system that works through messaging between two sides -- South Korea and the U.S. -- so in a way, ours could be considered more effective and practical," the official added.

hague@yna.co.kr
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