Biden Says ‘Ironclad’ US-South Korea Alliance Founded on Shared Beliefs

United States and South Korea Reaffirm “Ironclad Alliance”

The United States and South Korea have maintained an “ironclad alliance” for over 70 years due to their shared beliefs in democracy and freedom, according to U.S. President Joe Biden. His remarks came after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s six-day visit to the United States, which ended on Saturday. The two leaders met on April 26 and signed a Washington Declaration to reaffirm their countries’ 70-year treaty.

Biden shared a video from his meeting with Yoon on Twitter, describing the event as a celebration of their shared vision and the “deep friendship that unites the Republic of Korea and the United States.”

Shared Beliefs in Democracy and Freedom

“The United States and Republic of Korea alliance wasn’t born out of shared borders, but shared beliefs: democracy, liberty, security and above all—freedom,” Biden said, referring to South Korea’s official name.

Biden echoed Yoon’s address to the U.S. Congress, in which the South Korean leader praised the U.S.-South Korea ties as a global alliance that strives to “safeguard freedom and peace around the world.”

North Korea’s Threat

However, Yoon also warned that there is one regime determined to pursue the wrong path: North Korea. “North Korea has abandoned freedom and prosperity and dismissed peace,” he said.

The Washington Declaration outlines a set of U.S. extended deterrence measures, which will involve deploying U.S. strategic assets—nuclear forces—on the Korean Peninsula. In the declaration, South Korea expressed “full confidence” in U.S. extended deterrence commitments, while Washington pledged to make “every effort” to consult with South Korea on “any possible nuclear weapons employment” in the region.

Biden said at a joint press conference on April 26 that the United States will deploy nuclear-capable systems to the Korean Peninsula and warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea “will result in the end of whatever regime.”

North Korea Vows to Bolster Military Deterrence

North Korea’s Kim regime has condemned the Washington Declaration as the “product of heinous hostile policy” against it and vowed to bolster its military deterrence, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday.

“Anyone can know well that they are making a nuclear war against the DPRK a fait accompli,” KCNA stated in a commentary piece, referring to socialist North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

KCNA criticized Biden for his “reckless remarks” that threatened the end of North Korea’s regime, saying that it revealed the United States “inveterate hostility towards the DPRK that has reached its marrow.”

It claimed that the U.S.-South Korea accord to strengthen extended deterrence and trilateral cooperation with Japan is equivalent to “a dangerous nuclear war plot putting up the signboard of security.”

“Under such situation, it is quite natural for the DPRK to bolster up its military deterrence corresponding to the grave security environment of the present and the future,” it added.

Biden has said the United States would not be stationing nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula but there will be increased port visits.