US issues stern warning to North Korea: Any nuclear attack would end Kim’s regime

Asia-Pacific, News, US December 18, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Washington and Seoul have issued a dire warning to North Korea over any nuclear attack against the United States or its regional allies. A joint statement by the U.S. and South Korea says that a nuclear attack from Pyongyang would result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime.

The statement was released by the U.S. and the Republic of Korea during the second Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting convened in Washington on December 15, 2023. The meeting focused on talks for nuclear deterrence and fulfilling commitments made by the two countries to share more insight into planning in the event of conflict with North Korea.

The statement released at the end of the meeting warns that “any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.”

“The U.S. side reiterated that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response,” the statement added.

U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)

The U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NGC) was established in July this year to have an enduring bilateral consultative body to strengthen the bilateral alliance and enhance extended deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

The latest meeting was convened by the Coordinator for Intelligence and Defense Policy at the U.S. National Security Council Maher Bitar, and the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor of the Republic of Korea, Kim Tae-hyo.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with South Korean National Security Advisor Cho Tae-Yong and Japanese National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba — ^{National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong of South Korea (C) shakes hands with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (L), and Japan’s National Security Secretariat Secretary General Takeo Akiba (R) in the press briefing room of the presidential office in Seoul, on December 9, 2023. (Image Credit: Yonhap)}

The meeting came in response to North Korea’s recent military activities. Pyongyang has recently developed and tested a range of ballistic missiles that can reach targets in South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. mainland.

Kim Tae-hyo reported that North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile this month, which was considered a nuclear threat by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. Regardless of its range, the newly tested ballistic missile can carry a nuclear warhead. Officials from both sides decided to arrange the next meeting in South Korea next summer.

Concerns about Russian collaboration

Both the U.S. and South Korea have accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine. The military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have raised severe concerns about a possible collaboration between the two countries on sharing nuclear technology.

^{North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a strategic cruise missile test aboard a navy warship in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency. (Image Credit: KCNA/via Reuters)}

Earlier this month, senior North Korean officials held discussions with Russian counterparts to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting in Pyongyang has raised concerns in South Korea about potential violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, speculating that North Korea might be expanding its labor exports to Russia to generate revenue for its struggling economy and fund Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons program.

US nuclear-powered submarine arrives in South Korea

Meanwhile, on December 17, 2023, A U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered USS Missouri submarine, entered a key naval base in the South Korean southern port city of Busan, located 320 kilometers from Seoul.

*^{U.S. Virginia-class submarine USS Missouri (SSN780) heading to sea from Pearl Harbor as she begins a western Pacific deployment. (Image Credit: Twitter/CavasShips)}*

“With the deployment of the USS Missouri, we plan to strengthen naval exchanges and cooperation with the United States and to bolster our combined defense posture,” the South Korean Navy said in a statement.

The U.S. Navy has been beefing up its presence in the region amid increasing threats from North Korea. Three weeks earlier, the USS Santa Fe (SSN-763), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, entered South Korea’s Jeju Naval Base.