U.S. ambassador to South Korea says 'all' American assets available to deter North

Diplomacy

Published: 27 Jul. 2024, 09:00 Updated: 27 Jul. 2024, 14:18

U.S. ambassador to South Korea says 'all' American assets available to deter North

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, at his official residence, the Habib House, in central Seoul on Tuesday. [JEON MIN-GYU]

[INTERVIEW]

U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg highlighted the readiness of “all” American strategic assets for deployment to the Korean Peninsula, in consultation with South Korea’s president.

“What I think is important is that all of our assets could be called into use by our president in conjunction, and in discussions, with the Korean president [for deterrence reasons or for a crisis],” Goldberg said during an exclusive interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, at his official residence, the Habib House, in central Seoul on Tuesday.

The assurance follows an agreement between South Korea and the United States on the Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula, signed on July 11, after the two countries established the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) last year. The guidelines were a key task after the NCG, a bilateral consultative body to bolster extended deterrence, was established through the Washington Declaration adopted by the two countries' leaders during their summit in April 2023.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol explained that the agreement involves the special assignment of missions for America's nuclear assets to the Korean Peninsula during both wartime and peacetime.

Although specific details regarding the Korean Peninsula mission have not been disclosed, this marks the first time that a U.S. senior official has clarified that “all U.S. assets” are available — indicating that all types of American assets, including nuclear submarines, strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, can be deployed to the Korean Peninsula to deter North Korean nuclear threats.

Goldberg, who also served as ambassador to Colombia during the Donald Trump and Joe Biden presidencies, addressed concerns about the continuity of extended deterrence agreements should Trump be reelected, stating that these agreements benefit both countries and will remain intact regardless of the November election's outcome.

When asked about the intent behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's severance inter-Korean relations, Goldberg responded, “I don't think that anyone knows except Kim Jong-un,” explaining that “it's a dictatorship where one person decides all these things.”

Regarding Kim's daughter, Kim Ju-ae, Goldberg noted, “I'm more concerned about what he does when he brings her to a particular event, which is showing off weapons and missiles. I think that is something that we need to be more concerned about than whether she is going to be the future leader.”

Before coming to his current role in 2022, Goldberg served as ambassador to Colombia, acting ambassador to Cuba, ambassador to the Philippines and ambassador to Bolivia.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, makes kimchi at a kimjang event calling for national unity through goodwill and sharing at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Monday. Goldberg stands to the left of Yoon. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Asked to reflect on his most memorable moment of the past two years, Goldberg cited the Korean president's state visit to the United States in April 2023 that led to the Washington Declaration rather than any event in Seoul. It is very rare for a foreign ambassador to accompany a Korean president on visits for multilateral meetings, but Goldberg also accompanied Yoon to the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii and the NATO summit earlier this month.

Praising Seoul as a city of “real dynamism,” Goldberg also shared his appreciation for Korean cuisine, mentioning sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) and bibimbap as his favorites. When asked to name food he wouldn't want to try again, Goldberg mentioned “live small octopus,” or sannakji.

Below are edited excerpts from the interview.

How does the integrated deterrence mentioned in the NCG guidelines work?

What it means is that the Republic of Korea will be definitely involved through our planning, through our sharing of the information on the nuclear forces, our strategic assets. It means that South Korea will be involved in the decision-making process, of course. And the Nuclear Consultative Group [NCG] is a planning exercise and will help share the information on our thinking. South Korea will be involved in the planning and, for deterrence purposes, any possible deployment of nuclear assets.

Are specific assets prioritized for the Korean Peninsula mission?

We have strategic assets that are here all the time. What I think is important to keep in mind is that all of our assets could be called into use by our president in conjunction, and in discussions with, the Korean president. So I think your question was, are there certain assets? I'm saying all the assets are available.

What is your view on South Korea's resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts in response to North Korea's sending of waste balloons?

The Republic of Korea and the Yoon government are fully within rights to respond, in some way, to provocative actions that really are quite disturbing, and in some cases quite disgusting, if you hear what they may be putting in those balloons.

What is your stance on the increasing public support in South Korea for the country's development of its own nuclear armament in response to North Korean provocations and closer North Korea-Russia ties?

“Integrated manner” means that we use all of the resources at our disposal to deal with defense, and that includes the nuclear umbrella. It also involves Korea's and the United States' conventional forces, but also the strategic forces that we have and the nuclear umbrella that we offer as part of the alliance.

Some argue that sanctions against North Korea are ineffective.

Sanctions are a tool of policy, not a policy in itself. Sanctions are meant to dissuade but also to, in some respects, try to slow down, punish, and do things in response to what an adversary is doing. I think that sanctions have been effective against North Korea. I think the fact that they want them lifted is evidence that they don't like them and want to get out from under them. But is it enough to get him to stop building these weapons of mass destruction? Evidently, he continues to do so.

What is being done about the dismantling of the UN Security Council's expert panel on North Korea sanctions monitoring in April?

I would hope that there is a way to involve the UN in some way since they are UN sanctions. It may not be possible because of the obstinacy and of Russia and its cynical use of the UN system in that regard. I hope in the next a couple of months.

How do you view the relationship between North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin?

I think that it's a relationship between two isolated leaders who find themselves to be rejected by the democratic world. I really find it hypocritical that two countries reached an agreement [on a comprehensive strategic partnership] to prevent future aggression when one is the biggest aggressor of them all, at the moment, against Ukraine, and the other one was an aggressor against South Korea, in 1950, and now just threatens and provokes it.

In response to closer North Korea-Russia ties, South Korea is reconsidering lethal aid to Ukraine.

We welcome the provision of assistance to Ukraine by all countries. South Korea has been a very good ally in that regard. They have provided humanitarian support, reconstruction assistance in the prospect of it. The Republic of Korea is part of the coalition of countries that oppose Russia's invasion, and we are very grateful for that.

There are concerns that the scope of the “yard” in the U.S. “small yard, high fence” strategy toward China is expanding. What is your take?

I often ask people and challenge audiences when this question is asked: Would you expect China to sell us their most sophisticated technology that would be used for military applications or for huge leaps in the economic area? Why would you expect the United States and its allies to sell or to trade [things] that would only advance the military capabilities of China? I don't know that the yard is expanding, I hope that the fence is very high and that [China] can't evade these kinds of guardrails and export controls.

With U.S. President Joe Biden announcing that he will not run for reelection, there are concerns about a lame duck period. How might this impact the South Korea-U.S. alliance?

There will be six months approximately left in [Biden's] administration, and we don't know who will replace him because we will have an election. President Biden has done tremendous things to help underpin the alliance and to make sure that it is stronger than ever, bilaterally. And also, by introducing the trilateral framework with Japan — which was, of course, a great and very brave decision taken by President Yoon to open up, again, the possibility of better relations with Japan.

Some analysts say South Korea is hesitant to engage with Trump's team due to its current relations with the Biden administration.

It's very appropriate for governments to engage candidates and their staff from both sides. We did it here in Korea before the election, and Korea will do it in the United States.

BY YOO JEE-HYE, PARK HYUN-JU, SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]