ROK-US house speakers commit to strong nuclear deterrence

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited South Korea on Thursday and met with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, echoing their mutual commitment to working towards denuclearizing North Korea and bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula through nuclear deterrence against the communist regime.

“Seoul and Washington expressed deep concerns about the dire situation and the escalating threats from North Korea,” said Mr. Kim through a joint press statement after meeting with Ms. Pelosi. “We agreed to support each government’s effort to realize an effective denuclearization and bring peace to the peninsula based on a strong and extended deterrence against North Korea that can reassured our people.”

The two speakers of the house said they discussed how to provide parliamentary support so that the ROK-US alliance can expand into other areas encompassing military security, economy, and technology. With a shared understanding about the importance of forging an economic alliance to tackle the global supply chain disruptions derived from the covid-induced economic doldrums and Ukrainian invasion, they discussed measures on technological cooperation including the introduction of visa quota on specialist jobs and offering of citizenship to Korean adoptees.

“The U.S. and the Republic of Korea relationship is special to us,” Ms. Pelosi said in a joint press announcement after having the discussion for about 70 minutes, stressing the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation. “We shared values, fighting the pandemic, saving the planet, there are so many things to discuss, which can be better served by the discussion in an inter-parliamentary way in addition to heads of state to heads of state.” She also stressed Washington’s commitment to pass the resolution on the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance next year to mark the historic year.

After the luncheon, Speaker Pelosi visited the JSA, emphasizing her focus on security, following her latest visit to Taiwan. This marks the first time that a high-level official from Washington has visited the JSA since President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

It is expected that she will examine the current security stature on the Korean Peninsula and prepare a message to the North to warn on the seventh nuclear test by the North and North Korea’s human rights record. Ms. Pelosi, who visited North Korea in 1997 to witness firsthand the abject reality of North Korean people, has called the North “a rogue nation” and has been a vocal proponent of addressing the human rights issues in the North and realizing denuclearization.


Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com