S. Korean Leader Vows To Respect NPT After Showing Interest In Acquiring Nuclear Weapons

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2023) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has dialed back on his comment that Seoul could make its own nuclear weapons or have them redeployed from the United States, assuring the media that his country remained committed to the non-proliferation regime.

His remark, which came at a policy briefing on North Korea's nuclear threat last week, raised concerns about the prospect of Seoul going nuclear in breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which aims to curb nuclear weapons.

"I can assure you that the Republic of Korea's realistic and rational option is to fully respect the NPT regime," Yoon told the Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of the Davos economic forum on Thursday.

The president added that he was fully confident about the United States' extended deterrence, a policy under which Washington promises to use its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend South Korea.

"We are preparing a stronger joint planning and joint execution in operating the US nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula," he told the Journal.

The United States pulled nuclear weapons from the peninsula in 1991. Under the NPT, it is committed not to transfer nuclear weapons to other countries or assist non-nuclear countries in acquiring such weapons.