US reassures Seoul over North Korean threats, with eye on ROK nuclear debate
Washington Declaration provides important updates to alliance but risks encouraging South Korean nuke advocates
Seventy years into their alliance, the U.S. and South Korea are adjusting to a shifting security environment in Northeast Asia. And amid these shifts, growing discussion in Seoul about developing an independent nuclear weapons capability — including earlier this year by Yoon himself — has raised concerns in Washington.
It’s in this context that the U.S. and South Korea released a statement titled the Washington Declaration on Wednesday, during ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the U.S. capital.
This document serves as a two-way exchange of reassurances: Washington offers new extended