Presidential office reaffirmed after U.S. President Joe Biden's "No" answer

To cope with North Korea's nuclear weapons program, South Korea and the U.S. are discussing ways to share information on the operation of U.S. nuclear power assets, joint planning, and joint implementation, Kim Eun-hye, senior secretary for public relations of the president’s office said in a written briefing on Jan. 3.

Kim said, "Today's remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden are inevitable to answer 'No' when a Reuters reporter asks 'whether they (the U.S. and South Korea) are discussing joint nuclear exercises,'" adding, "Joint nuclear exercise is a possible term among nuclear powers."

President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a Korea-U.S. summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Nov. 13, 2022.
President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a Korea-U.S. summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Nov. 13, 2022.

The statement came shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States was not discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea.

The joint exercise mentioned by President Yoon Suk-yeol and the joint nuclear war exercise questioned by Reuters are different concepts, Kim said.

In a New Year's interview with the vernacular daily Chosun Ilbo, President Yoon said, "South Korea and the U.S. are discussing how to operate the U.S. nuclear asset under the concept of joint planning and joint exercise."

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