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South Korea Not Planning to Obtain Nuclear Weapons - Prime Minister

Sputnik News

20230308

BUSAN (Sputnik) - Seoul had no plans to obtain nuclear weapons and would rely on an extended deterrence of North Korea in an alliance with the United States, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Tuesday.

"From the point of view of deterring senseless provocations on the part of North Korea, we need to work more closely with the US in terms of joint planning or some kind of joint operations and implementation," the minister told a meeting with foreign journalists in the city of Busan, as relayed by a Sputnik correspondent who attended the meeting.

"We need a stronger extended deterrence, including with nuclear weapons. Therefore, we do not have any solid plans to obtain nuclear weapons in any timeframe."

The prime minister added that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was not speaking about South Korea obtaining nuclear arms when he had spoken of the need for closer cooperation between Seoul and Washington regarding the plans to use US nuclear forces.

Seoul will continue holding joint military drills with Washington despite Pyongyang's reaction, the minister said.

"We will continue our joint exercises and continue strengthening our deterrence capabilities regardless of what North Korea does or how it reacts to our just actions to defend ourselves," Duck-soo said, adding that Seoul will not compromise on the issue.

He acknowledged that joint drills would certainly make Pyongyang "nervous," adding, however, that this could not be a reason for preventing Seoul from strengthening its alliance with Washington, aimed at deterring North Korea's "provocations."

The minister also said that Seoul was not considering the supply of lethal arms to Ukraine.

"As of this moment, we are not considering providing lethal weapons to Ukraine. We will provide humanitarian assistance, and we will be involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine when the time comes. And we are supporting the electricity sector of Ukraine by providing them with some equipment," Duck-soo said.

Seoul has pledged to provide $130 million in humanitarian assistance to Kiev in 2023. Last year, South Korea's aid to Ukraine totaled $100 million.

Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko reiterated in late February that Kiev hoped Seoul would find a way to send weapons to conflict-hit Ukraine without delay to bolster its "counteroffensive" capabilities.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told South Korean media in February that negotiations between Ukraine and South Korea on arms deliveries to Kiev were already underway.

A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said on February 27 that Seoul would not go back on its refusal to supply weapons to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who visited Seoul from February 29-30, called on South Korea to follow the examples of Germany, Sweden, and other countries in providing military aid to Ukraine.

© Sputnik