2023-05-29 11:40:56
Amid an escalation that is worsening on the Korean peninsula following the declaration of Washington, Seoul and Tokyo last April, the so-called “Washington Declaration” or “Nuclear Advisory Group” to deter Pyongyang, the US military conducted, on Sunday, a joint exercise with its South Korean counterpart, in the first translation of the signature. This military bloc.
In a new reaction, North Korea accused, on Sunday, its southern neighbor, America and Japan of launching a “nuclear alliance” against it, noting that the agreement between the three countries to establish the group “reproduction of a new NATO with an Asian character.”
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said that the new nuclear alliance targets Pyongyang, adding that US efforts with Seoul and Tokyo to exchange data on North Korean missile launches are an escalation of worsening regional tensions.
What is the Nuclear Advisory Group (NCG)?
A new platform and regular consultation mechanism between the three countries on extended deterrence, strategic planning and joint military implementation on the Korean Peninsula.
• Aims to strengthen nuclear contingency efforts against Pyongyang’s threats.
• It was announced last April during the visit of South Korean President Yoon Sok Yol to Washington.
• Modeled on NATO’s nuclear policy planning body.
Kim Jong Un inspects the first military spy satellite
American exercises and an attempt to calm down
These developments coincided with the announcement by the Seventh US Air Force, on Sunday, of conducting military exercises in South Korea that included dozens of warplanes, including an F-16 fighter and U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
The US military said in a Facebook post that the exercise “confirms our commitment to the defense of the Republic of South Korea, and demonstrated our ability to rapidly launch a combat air force.
Washington and Seoul say their exercises are defensive, but Pyongyang views them as preparations for an invasion or overthrow of its regime.
In an attempt to calm down, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he wanted high-level negotiations between Japan and North Korea to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss the issue of the return of the Japanese abductees.
In front of a gathering in Tokyo seeking the return of these kidnapped citizens in the seventies and eighties, Kishida reiterated that he was “committed to achieving unconditional talks with Kim as soon as possible,” according to the Japanese “Kyodo” news agency.
On the other hand, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, in previous statements published by the South Korean “Yonhap” agency, denounced this agreement and military exercises about her country, and said:
• Reflect greater will for aggressive action against North Korea.
• It will only lead to grave dangers to peace and security in Northeast Asia and the world.
• Hostile moves will push North Korea to take more decisive action.
• Kim added: “The more enemies insist on conducting nuclear war exercises, and the more nuclear assets they deploy near us, we will exercise our right to self-defense with measures similar to what is happening.”
Pyongyang warns of danger facing regional peace and security efforts
What are the implications of the agreement for East Asia and the Pacific?
China had entered the line of the worsening crisis, and warned Washington and Seoul against “provoking confrontation” with its ally, North Korea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said recently that “all parties should confront the core issue of the Korean Peninsula and play a role in promoting a peaceful settlement of it,” calling for an end to “deliberately stirring up tensions, confrontation and threats.”
American expert and strategic analyst Peter Alex says that the “Washington Declaration” will contribute to deterring North Korean threats, but it is not a nuclear sharing agreement.
Alex added to “Sky News Arabia” that the goal of the agreement is to strengthen the partnership between strategic allies in the Pacific and East Asia regions, and it also aims to:
• The US deterrence is strengthened, not the sharing of nuclear weapons between Washington and Seoul.
• Addressing North Korea’s advanced and nuclear threats.
• Strengthening Seoul and Washington’s partnership to respond to North Korean missile challenges and tests.
On the other hand, the strategic analyst for Asian affairs, Jalal Al-Taweel, considered that the United States, in light of the Ukrainian war, is creating hotbeds of conflict in the Pacific region with the support of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, in exchange for the bloc of Russia, China and North Korea.
He added to “Sky News Arabia”:
• China is the first strategic opponent of America.
• Washington adopts a policy of “demonizing Russia and China” to turn world public opinion against them.
• America seeks to form political, military and economic blocs such as the “Ocos” agreement and the “Quad” grouping, the latest of which is the “Nuclear Advisory Group” in the Asia-Pacific region, which raises tensions and creates flashpoints for long-term conflicts.
• North Korea has already become a nuclear power since the 1990s, and uses nuclear weapons as a deterrent to deter any party trying to interfere in the peninsula, and some of its moves come at the behest of China.
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