US State Department: "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the Goal"

The U.S. Department of State stated on the 27th (local time) that the goal is denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in response to remarks by Senator James Risch, the Republican ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said that the redeployment of nuclear weapons to South Korea should be considered to counter North Korea's nuclear threat.

Vedant Patel, the State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson, said at a briefing that when asked whether tactical nuclear redeployment to South Korea is possible, "Specific matters related to (nuclear) deployment or posture are issues for the Department of Defense to answer," adding this.

In response to a follow-up question regarding North Korea's statement on the 22nd that it would respond with nuclear weapons if forced into "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)," he replied, "We are committed to diplomatic engagement with North Korea and do not hold any hostile policy."

He said, "Our ultimate goal remains the same, which is the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," and added, "Our defense commitments to South Korea and Japan remain ironclad." He also noted, "(Joint) exercises are defensive and routine."

Earlier, Senator Risch sent an email to Voice of America (VOA) asserting, "The Biden administration should reject North Korea's objectives and consider not only expanding alliance nuclear planning and operational mechanisms to strengthen extended deterrence but also redeploying nuclear weapons to South Korea."

He explained, "Recent successive long-range missile launches by North Korea have been accompanied by various short- and medium-range missile tests," adding, "Many of these are weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads." He further interpreted, "The speed and variety of these tests suggest that North Korea is simulating use in wartime," and "This is intended to send a signal to U.S. allies that North Korea can control escalation during military conflict."

Senator Risch emphasized, "Frequent missile tests by North Korea have made the Biden administration complacent, but this should not be regarded as routine."