South Korea's high-level visit to Washington, the United States and South Korea to formulate nuclear strategies, and North Korea's high-level visit to China
Inside the Pentagon, senior U.S. and South Korean officials are plotting to counter North Korea's nuclear threat, and on the same day, a special plane flew from Pyongyang to Beijing.
Recently, the nuclear advisory group of the United States and South Korea held its second meeting at the Pentagon, with more than 60 participants, including Bital, the senior coordinator for intelligence and defense policy of the U.S. *** committee, and Kim Tae-hyo, the first director of the South Korean National Security Office. The meeting marked a decision by the two sides to complete the development of strategic guidelines for nuclear weapons to address the North Korean nuclear threat by 2024 at the latest.
Kim Tae-hyo revealed that the nuclear strategy guidelines will include the sharing of intelligence on nuclear weapons, a consultation process in the event of a crisis, and the establishment of a secure dialogue channel between the leaders of the two sides to ensure rapid communication in the event of a crisis. In addition, the United States and South Korea plan to establish an extended deterrence system and conduct joint nuclear combat exercises by June next year. Considering South Korea's status as a non-nuclear state, the United States will also send professionals to provide relevant nuclear strategy training to South Korea**.
As tensions on the Korean Peninsula mount, South Korea is increasingly uneasy and has therefore strengthened its dependence on the United States at the military level, especially in terms of nuclear strategy. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-hyun recently met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the two sides not only comprehensively revised the Customized Deterrence Strategy, but also made it clear that if North Korea uses nuclear power, they will take action to directly end its regime.
Earlier this month, the United States and South Korea launched a real-time missile warning information sharing mechanism to deal with the uncertain situation following North Korea's successful launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. South Korea's military and technological capabilities are relatively limited, so it can only rely on U.S. support to jointly face the North Korean challenge.
However, the main responsibility for the recent escalation of tensions on the peninsula remains with the United States and South Korea. Since Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, South Korea's foreign policy has gradually become unbalanced, overly leaning too close to countries such as the United States and Japan, and seriously neglecting relations with neighboring countries. Not only that, Yoon Suk-yeol has also continuously strengthened cooperation with the United States and Japan in the military field.
Recently, the United States and South Korea have repeatedly conducted joint military exercises around the peninsula to provoke North Korea, causing the situation in the surrounding region to continue to heat up. Therefore, the DPRK had to take corresponding measures. In addition, there is already a miscommunication between North and South Korea, and the intervention of external forces such as the United States has intensified the contradictions between the two sides, which eventually led to the current situation.
It is noteworthy that on the same day that the United States and South Korea developed their nuclear strategies, a special plane departed from Pyongyang and landed in Beijing. It is reported that DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myung-ho recently visited Beijing and held consultations with China's Vice Minister Sun Weidong. During the talks, China and the DPRK decided to further deepen friendly and cooperative relations and strengthen strategic communication and coordination.
Obviously, in the face of the strengthening of cooperation between the United States and South Korea, the DPRK is also actively seeking cooperation with neighboring countries. In September this year, Kim Jong-un made a special visit to Russia and met with Putin and other high-level Russian officials. This is Kim Jong-un's first state visit since 2019. In addition, China and Russia have recently sent ** to North Korea for exchanges.
On the one hand, as the pandemic eases, North Korea is gradually opening its borders to its neighbors and strengthening diplomatic exchanges. On the other hand, in the face of provocative actions by the United States and South Korea, North Korea also needs to increase its diplomatic activities to avoid falling into "isolation" under the manipulation of the United States and South Korea.
At this critical juncture, North Korea sent a high-level representative to visit China, apparently out of a plea for help from China. First, North Korea's economic development has been hampered by the closure of all borders during the coronavirus. Considering that the DPRK economy has always been its shortcoming, this visit to China is also aimed at discussing cooperation with China.
Second, China and the DPRK's emphasis on strengthening strategic communication and coordination means that the DPRK is taking precautions at a time when the situation on the peninsula is tense. China has a high level of influence in Asia and internationally, and maintaining strategic communication with China can help respond to emergencies and provide North Korea with a greater sense of "security."
Although both the DPRK and the ROK have their own intentions at present, the most urgent task at present is to start dialogue as soon as possible to reduce differences and miscalculations in order to avoid further escalation of the situation and thus ensure stability and peace in the peninsula region.