hankyoreh

Two B-1B strategic bombers with the US Air Force fly alongside four Korean F-35As and four US F-16s during the last day of the Vigilant Storm joint drills on Nov. 5. (courtesy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

The South Korea-US joint air training drill, Vigilant Storm, which incorporated B-1B Lancer US strategic bombers, has come to an end.

The South Korean and US defense ministers announced in a public statement that they would strengthen extended deterrence measures with the deployment of strategic weapons from the US in order to face the nuclear threat North Korea poses. They even included that “any nuclear attack” by the North will “result in the end of the Kim Jong-un regime.”

As North Korea tries to establish itself as a nuclear powerhouse, South Korea and the US are strengthening extended deterrence measures to combat the North’s ambitions. This has led some to worry that tensions on the Korean Peninsula will become protracted.

On Saturday, the final day of the joint drill, the US Air Force’s B-1B strategic bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula and conducted joint drills with South Korean fighters. This was the first time since December 2017 that a B-1B — not only the fastest US bomber, but also the one with the biggest bomb load at 60 tons — had been deployed to the Korean Peninsula.

On the same day, North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its western coast in protest. North Korea launched 35 missiles (including ICBMs) during the drill, which began on Oct. 31 and ended on Saturday, staging unprecedentedly high-intensity shows of force.

North Korea has raised the level of its provocations sharply and as South Korea has responded almost immediately every time, there are growing concerns about accidental clashes going forward.

At a Security Consultative Meeting held between South Korea and the US on Thursday, the two countries said that they would strengthen deterrence against North Korea with the timely deployment of the US’s strategic weapons and strengthening joint training. In a joint communique, the two countries said that “any nuclear attack against the United States or its Allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.”

While issued as a warning to North Korea, such rhetoric could also work to agitate Pyongyang.

While South Korea’s joint exercise with the US is over, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are likely to become protracted. The security situation on the Korean Peninsula has been fundamentally transformed by the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles and by close strategic collaboration between North Korea, Russia and China amid the US-China conflict.

The meeting of the UN Security Council that was convened on Friday to discuss North Korea’s repeated launch of ballistic missiles ended fruitlessly as China and Russia provided cover for North Korea. South Korea’s national security confronts a fundamental dilemma without any easy solutions.

It’s inevitable for South Korea and the US to reinforce extended deterrence, but that by itself cannot resolve this crisis. Allowing this implacable confrontation to continue will surely complicate the situation and increase the danger of an unexpected clash. The South Korean government seems remiss in its duty to develop a complex long-term strategy and foreign policy while carefully managing the situation.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]