South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has warned that his country, in alliance with the United States, is prepared to respond with nuclear retaliation if North Korea attempts a nuclear strike.
Yoon stated that South Korea could rely on U.S. nuclear weapons for its defense and does not need to possess such weapons itself.
“I believe it would be irrational for them to decide to carry out a nuclear attack against the Republic of Korea, and if they were to do so, the U.S.-South Korea nuclear alliance would immediately strike North Korea with U.S. nuclear weapons,” Yoon said, according to the U.S. magazine Newsweek.
North Korea recently flexed its military muscles by testing an intercontinental ballistic missile—capable of operating with solid fuel—called Hwasong-19 on October 31, amid accusations from Washington and Seoul that Pyongyang has deployed troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Yoon has taken a firmer stance on North Korea than his predecessor, as the North continues to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenal, despite United Nations Security Council resolutions banning such weapons.
Seoul is seeking to further strengthen its relations with Washington, with which it has had a security alliance for over 70 years.
Technically, the two Koreas are still at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
