No longer one-sided beneficiary of alliance with US: South Korean National Security Advisor

Seoul: South Korean National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik said on Tuesday that the country is no longer a “one-sided beneficiary” of the bilateral alliance with the United States, vowing to work with the incoming US administration for the denuclearisation of North Korea.

Shin made the remark during a keynote speech at the 2024 Global Dialogue on Korean Peninsula Unification, co-hosted by the National Unification Advisory Council and Yonhap News Agency.

“South Korea is no longer a one-sided beneficiary of the South Korea-US alliance,” Shin said. “As a partner with capabilities to contribute to regional and global security and prosperity, South Korea will continue to protect its core interests.”

Shin said South Korea will seek to maintain a strong security posture through the integrated nuclear deterrence system in close coordination with the new US administration under Donald Trump to counter North Korea’s nuclear threats.

“The government will establish a close cooperation framework with the next US administration to firmly safeguard freedom and peace in South Korea, and we will uphold the goal of complete denuclearisation of North Korea,” he said.

The top security official criticised North Korea’s strengthening military cooperation with Russia through a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty, calling it Pyongyang’s “worst gamble.”

According to North Korean state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the treaty, which includes a mutual assistance clause committing both nations to provide military support if either comes under attack.

He cautioned against North Korea’s receiving sensitive military technologies from Russia in return for its troop deployment in support of the war in Ukraine and gaining modern combat experience.

Shin warned of the security risks should North Korea receive sensitive military technology from Russia in exchange for troop support in the Ukraine conflict, which would also allow North Korean forces to gain modern combat experience.

“The war between Russia and Ukraine is not a distant conflict but a critical issue for South Korea,” he said.

–IANS