Biden says not discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden said he was not discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, reported Sputnik, quoting the White House in a statement.

Yoon earlier said in an interview with The Chosun Ilbo newspaper that Seoul is negotiating with Washington to jointly plan and conduct exercises with the participation of US nuclear forces to counter North Korea's nuclear threat.

"No," Biden said when asked if he was discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea.

Following Biden's remarks, the office of the South Korean president clarified what exactly the nuclear cooperation between the two countries implied.

"Joint nuclear exercise is a term used between nuclear powers. (Thus, when a reporter asked Biden) if joint nuclear exercises are being discussed, (he had to say) no," South Korean senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.

According to Kim, the two countries are in regular discussions on sharing related information in the field and on planning and implementing US nuclear operations.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has become tenser as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system last week to conduct a quick nuclear retaliatory strike. He also said that the United States, under the pretext of strengthening cooperation with South Korea and Japan, was creating an "Asian version of NATO."

In response, Seoul said that measures announced by Pyongyang were "absurd" and would only worsen the situation. - BERNAMA