▲ South Korean and U.S. officials from the government, military and parliament, as well as from academia, pose for a photo at a forum hosted by Seoul's defense ministry and the National Assembly's defense committee in Seoul on July 10, 2023. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) US general-submarine visit

(LEAD) U.S. general reaffirms 'upcoming' visit of nuclear ballistic missile submarine to S. Korea

(ATTN: ADDS former USFK commander's remarks in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- A senior U.S. military official in Seoul on Monday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to enhancing the "regular visibility" of powerful military assets in South Korea, pointing to the "upcoming visit" of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine.

Brig. Gen. John Weidner, chief of staff at the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), made the remarks as the allies are striving to improve the credibility of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally amid growing North Korean threats.

"The U.S. will enhance regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula as evidenced by the upcoming visit of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine to the ROK," Weidner said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

The general spoke at a forum on the 70th anniversary of the Seoul-Washington alliance and growing North Korean nuclear and missile threats, which was hosted by South Korea's defense ministry and the National Assembly's committee on national defense.

Weidner did not elaborate on exactly when the submarine would visit Korea and whether it would be armed with nuclear weapons.

The U.S.' pledge to improve the regular visibility of such formidable weapons in Korea was included in the Washington Declaration adopted during the White House summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, in April.

The declaration also entailed the allies' agreement to create the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to discuss nuclear and strategic planning issues.

Weidner said he will represent the USFK at the NCG talks.

"I expect those discussions to establish a framework for new, bilateral, interagency table-top simulations to strengthen our joint planning approach," he said.

Touching on the allies' plan to hold the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next month, he said that the participation in the training is "invaluable to informing our alliance's approach to conflict against a nuclear-armed adversary."

In a written congratulatory speech, Seoul's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said that following the adoption of the Washington Declaration, the bilateral alliance has been elevated to a "nuclear-based" one.

"The leap in the alliance's development did not transpire in a short moment. It is a result of the South and the U.S working together over the last seven decades," he said.

Also at the forum was Joy M. Sakurai, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, who also reaffirmed America's "enduring and unwavering" security commitment to South Korea.

"The U.S. uses all of what we call our instruments of power to address the complexity of security and peace on the peninsula," she said. "This means we leverage our powers of diplomacy, defense and economic security, along with other efforts alongside Korea and our other allies, to maintain peace in the region."

She also pointed to the earlier visits of U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and the deployment of strategic bombers as a "show of force" from the U.S.

In a video speech for the forum, retired Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, a former USFK commander, warned that North Korea's coercive actions are likely to become increasingly risky as its nuclear and missile arsenal grows.

"I believe that the alliance should take a steady, strategic and long-term approach to the North Korean challenge, continue to strengthen the alliance deterrence and defense using all our combined national powers and resist the urge to respond to each North Korean coercive action," he said.

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