North Korea Nuclear Attack Would Trigger ‘Overwhelming’ U.S. Response, Biden Warns

President Joe Biden and a key U.S. ally have warned North Korea against acts of aggression as they agreed to boost cooperation in the face of an “advancing nuclear threat posed by the DPRK.”

Biden met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Thursday in Washington D.C. on the margins of the annual summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In a joint statement published by the White House following the encounter, the presidents warned Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, that a “nuclear attack by the DPRK against the Republic Of Korea will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response.”

The statement also praised the “tremendous progress” that the U.S.-South Korean alliance had achieved, and celebrated the signing of their first joint nuclear deterrence guidelines.

These provide “principles and procedures” for nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement by the U.S. Department of Defense and the ROK Ministry of National Defense.

While the full details were not disclosed, the presidents said that these created “a solid foundation for enhancing U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner.”

The document is the natural extension to the two countries’ existing nuclear deterrence collaborations.

Last year, the pair launched the “Nuclear Consultative Group,” establishing nuclear deterrence commitments by the U.S. to South Korea, who has long desired an American nuclear “umbrella” to protect itself in the event of an attack by its northern neighbor.

Since the launch of the NCG, U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarines have begun appearing in South Korean waters, drawing the ire of Pyongyang.

South Korea possesses no nuclear weapons of its own, but President Yoon Suk Yeol has suggested that it develop a nuclear arsenal if tensions with North Korea do not improve.

More hawkish statements on the need for South Korea to go nuclear have been made by the country’s conservative politicians.

Kim Jong Un has continually tried to develop and threatened to use nuclear weapons in despite facing international condemnation and sanctions.

Tensions at the inter-Korean border have also remained high over the past few months.

Satellite imagery showed North Korea clearing land and constructing a wall in the demilitarized zone, its soldiers have crossed over and drawn warning shots from South Korean forces, and the two countries have been engaged in an ongoing exchange of propaganda leaflets and trash balloons.

The signing of the new nuclear deterrence guidelines comes only a few weeks after Russia and North Korea signed a strategic partnership agreement during Vladimir Putin‘s visit to the country in mid-June.

The treaty, the full text of which was released by North Korean state media, comprised promises of enhanced economic cooperation and collaboration in resisting Western sanctions.

Most notably, the agreement contained a mutual defense clause, and the assurance that both countries would come to the other’s aid if attacked “with all means in its possession without delay.”

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