US-South Korea relations take a serious turn

The United States-South Korea relations took a serious turn when American President Joe Biden told his South Korean counterpart Hoon Suk Yeol that Washington would mean the end of the government in Pyongyang if North Korea were to launch a nuclear attack on South Korea. There is a strong hint that the US would retaliate in kind, and that the American nuclear umbrella for South Korea is not for show. The North Korean threat to South Korea has been growing with the increase in missile tests of Pyongyang.

The two countries are also set to form the Nuclear Consultative Group (NSG), the kind of the arrangement that exists between the United States and the NATO countries. In return, South Korea has assured that it would remain in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). that is, South Korea would keep to its commitment not to go nuclear on its own.

There is however a growing demand within South Korea that the country should develop its own nuclear weapon as a deterrent to the threat posed by North Korea. And Americans are keen that there should be no nuclear proliferation in the Korean peninsula nor in far-east Asia. Biden made it plain that a nuclear attack by North Korea would not be tolerated. He said at the White House news conference hosting Yeol earlier this week said, “Look, a nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States, its allies or partisans – partners – is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action.” China, a close friend of North Korea, said that the US should not indulge in provocative acts against North Korea.

The nature of military alliance between the two countries has been stepped up, where South Korea is part of the consultations before military action, especially the decision to use a nuclear weapon as a retaliation, is taken. But the discretion will remain with the US. For a long time, South Korea was a junior partner, and it was not taken into confidence over military consultations. It remained a passive recipient of US military protection.

But now South Korea will be an active partner. It looks like that this upgradation of military consultation has been done to show that the Americans respect its ally. This became all the more necessary when the recent intelligence leak on the social media showed Americans spying on the South Koreans, which was a sensitive issue. But the expansion of military consultations is more than a recompense for the spying on a trusted ally. The situation on the Korean peninsula has changed, and North Korea’s stepping up its missile tests seems is assuming threatening proportions.

The only country that can hope to talk with North Korea is China. There is no other mediator. That is why, in dealing with the North Korean problem, the US has to humour Beijing to convey the message to Pyongyang. With the US already on a confrontationist position with China on the Taiwan issue, far-east Asia is turning into a literal tinderbox ready to go up in flames at any time. President Joe Biden seems to be talking tough when it is not so necessary to do so, and even if necessary tough talk would not solve the probe. It is indeed the case that China has adopted an aggressive tone. Taiwan on its part has been asserting its own identity by meeting with US officials at different levels. China and the US are mature enough to realise that they should not mix up the situation on the Korean peninsula with that of Taiwan Strait.