On Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol will meet his US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House, and steps to strengthen the deterrence of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions will be announced after the summit.
"We will announce our intention to take steps to make deterrence more visible through the deployment of strategic assets, including the visit of a US nuclear submarine to South Korea, which has not happened since the early 1980s. We will strengthen our training and exercises to develop a US-Korea allied approach to deterring and defending against North Korea threats," the administration official said.
DPRK Slams G7's Statement on Denuclearisation
Meanwhile, the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement, reaffirming that its position as a nuclear state is final and irreversible, and does not require international recognition. Possession of nuclear weapons, Pyongyang said, is already enshrined in the country’s legislation. It is necessary not for the sake of status, but to defend against the US’s hostile policy.
Pyongyang also castigated the G7 foreign ministers’ statement on the denuclearisation of North Korea, branding it as interference in the nation's internal affairs and a violation of its sovereignty.
North Korean diplomats noted that measures to boost the country’s defenсe capabilities are necessary for protecting the country and its territorial integrity, as well as for maintaining stability on the Korean Peninsula amid "crazy and provocative" military actions by the US and its allies.
North Korea is not the one who needs to change, but rather the United States, with its "archaic" views that only the US can possess nukes, the statement adds. Washington will have to understand that only "the complete cancellation of hostile policy towards North Korea will ensure their security. "