Written nuclear pledge bolsters alliance with U.S.

The latest agreement between the United States and South Korea to document Washington`s extended provision of its nuclear umbrella over Seoul is seen as further steps to bolster the alliance in the face of continued North Korean threats.

Questions linger, however, as to how effective the document will be when the "nuclear umbrella" itself is in need of repair.

On Friday, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said he reached an agreement with his U.S. counterpart Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a written guarantee that Seoul remains under Washington`s "Nuclear Extended Deterrence Strategy," commonly referred to as a "nuclear umbrella."



The nuclear umbrella is a guarantee by a nuclear weapons state such as the United States to defend a non-nuclear ally.

The documentation is scheduled for June 16 at the summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.

While the news was heralded by many for augmenting the alliance, there remain concerns about whether the nuclear umbrella will be sufficient to keep South Korea protected from a nuclear North Korea.

Pyongyang on May 25 conducted its second nuclear test, about two and half years after its first in 2006. The communist nation also fired five short-range missiles and reportedly is preparing to shoot more.

"The nuclear umbrella is still a formidable defense shield against North Korea, but considering the possible nuclear capabilities of the North, the scope and legal status of the provision needs to be stepped up," said Kim Tae-woo, vice president of the Korean Institute for Defense Analyses.

Under the extended nuclear deterrence, Washington would mobilize forces and use its nuclear and conventional weapons in case North Korea or any other party or nation seeks aggression on South Korea.

But the mobilization would not occur "automatically," as in the case between the United States and Japan.

Such support would be available only in the case that the aggression is considered to infringe on U.S. interests, according to the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two allies.

The nuclear umbrella concept emerged after the United States withdrew its entire nuclear arsenal from South Korea shortly after Seoul signed an agreement with Pyongyang on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula in 1992.

Under presidents Lee and Obama, the two allies have recently been avidly promoting their alliance in the face of escalating North Korean brinkmanship which seems to stem from Kim Jong-il`s determination to designate a successor.

Experts believe Kim has appointed his youngest son Kim Jong-un as heir-apparent, and is now gathering public and party support as his junior is considered inexperienced and lacking in popularity.

"We can say that the documentation of the nuclear umbrella would serve mostly to solidify the alliance, which we cannot deny is a critical factor in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," said Kim Hyun-wook, a researcher of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

He added that the act itself is unlikely to impact the North significantly as Pyongyang is moving according to its own plans focused on the succession process.

"The joining of the Proliferation Security Initiative, now this, these all probably will not really affect the North," he said.

Pyongyang on Saturday reiterated its threats toward Seoul for becoming a full-member of PSI, an international program for fighting the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.

The South Korean military remains on high-alert for possible North Korean aggression. On Thursday, a North Korean patrol ship invaded the de-facto inter-Korean maritime border for more than 50 minutes.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)





By Kim Ji-hyun