South Korea and the US are discussing holding joint military high schools in response to threats from North Korea

Seoul and Washington discussed the possibility of holding joint military trainings using elements of the US nuclear arsenal aimed at responding to growing North Korean threats, South Korean President Yun Suk-gil said.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper published today, Yun admitted that the US’s “nuclear umbrella” and its “expanded deterrence capability” are not enough to reassure the South Koreans.

“Nuclear weapons belong to the US, but the preparation, information sharing, high schools and training should be done jointly by South Korea and the US,” Yun pointed out, adding that Washington has received “rather positively” the this idea.

The South Korean president’s remarks came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an “exponential increase” in his country’s nuclear arsenal, the official KCNA news agency reported.

Kim also announced that North Korea would develop new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to counter what he described as the hostility of the US and South Korea.

In 2022, Pyongyang conducted almost monthly missile tests, including its most advanced ICBM. In total, last year he made a record number of launches.

On Saturday, North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles and one more in the early hours of Sunday.

Under Yun’s presidency, South Korea increased its joint military trainings with the US, which had been reduced during the covid-19 pandemic or suspended under his predecessor as talks with North Korea took place.

After the failure of inter-Korean talks in 2019, Kim has stepped up efforts to develop his country’s banned weapons program.

RES-EMP

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