South Korea: Yoon says North Korea faces retaliation for provocations

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said North Korea faces retaliation for its provocations. The warning comes amidst flared tensions in the region with Pyongyang’s increasing missile launches.

Yoon said the South Korean military must respond with clear retaliation to provocations by North Korea, according to Yoon’s office on Sunday. The warning comes as Yoon said Pyongyang will continue to conduct increasing nuclear and missile provocations, flaring tensions in the region as it launched a record number of missiles in 2022.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo news outlet published on Monday, Yoon said South Korea and the United States are having discussions on potential joint drills using US nuclear assets. Yoon’s comments follow his calls for “war preparation” with an “overwhelming” capability after the record number of missile launches by North Korea as well as the incursion of five North Korean drones into South Korean airspace.

“The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, and training should be jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States,” Yoon told the newspaper.

According to the outlet, Yoon said that the joint planning and drills aim to be a more effective implementation of Washington’s “extended deterrence” and that the US was also positive about the idea. “Extended deterrence” refers to the ability of the US military, especially its nuclear forces, to deter attacks on US allies.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon said there was “nothing to announce” at the moment and that the alliance between the US and South Korea remains “rock solid.”

Last week, Yoon’s office said the South Korean leader has ordered a revamp of the country’s response to incursions over its airspace following his criticism of the military’s response to the North Korean drones. Yoon visited the state-operated Agency for Defense Development to check the country’s reconnaissance and interception capabilities and called for an overhaul of the response system against “all flying objects.”

“North Korean drones’ intrusion of our airspace is an intolerable incident,” said Yoon at the time. “We should let them learn that provocations are always met with harsh consequences.”

Yoon criticized the military’s response to the drones, calling for a faster reinforcement of its drone units.