US not discussing nuclear drills with South korea: Biden
United States President Joe Biden said Monday that Washington is not discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea against North Korea's threats.
The South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a media interview that Seoul and Washington were in 'talks on joint planning and exercises involving United States nuclear assets to counter North Korea's nuclear threats'.
Asked by reporters at the White House on Monday if he was currently discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea, Biden said, 'No'.
South Korean President Yoon's comments, in an interview published in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Monday, come at a time of growing tension with North Korea, which test-launched an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles in 2022 and has promised to robustly counter what it views as military planning by the United States and South Korea for a possible invasion.
The newspaper quoted President Yoon as saying the joint planning and exercises would be aimed at more effective implementation of the US 'extended deterrence', which refers to the ability of the United States military-particularly its nuclear forces- to deter attacks on US allies.
In response to North Korea's sabre rattling, President Yoon has taken an increasingly tough stance and has called for 'war preparation' with an 'overwhelming' capability.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen again with North Korea launching dozens of missiles previous year in a series of arms tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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