It is understandable that the ROK seeks to strengthen deterrence against the growing North Korean nuclear threat, but Seoul and Washington are already pursuing the most effective way of countering that threat — strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance and reinforcing the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent, including by giving South Koreans a much more important role in the planning and execution of that deterrent,
So, in the U.S. view, this is less an issue of fairness than of timing — Japan made a request before the U.S. policy change,
The U.S. strives to promote civil nuclear cooperation globally to advance our principles for the highest standards of safety, security, and non-proliferation,
I understand that South Koreans may perceive that it isn't fair that the U.S. supported Japan's reprocessing but not South Korea's reprocessing of spent nuclear reactor fuel,
Occasional hints by ROK officials of South Korea's interest in developing nuclear weapons and the advocacy by some ROK National Assembly members for the ROK to develop a latent nuclear weapons capability are probably unnerving U.S. policymakers and will likely stiffen their opposition to allowing reprocessing by the ROK,
The current South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement took effect in 2015 and is valid until 2035, and we intend to continue to upgrade peaceful nuclear cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. while faithfully implementing the agreement,
The South Korean government continues to seek ways to manage high-level radioactive waste such as spent nuclear fuel,
And he added that it also means the last declaration that when the DPRK's sovereignty is violated by the ROK, a hostile country, its physical forces will be used unhesitatingly, without sticking to conditions any longer,
He stressed that our army should keep in mind once again the stark fact that the ROK is a foreign country and an apparent hostile country,
If Kim Jong Un were thinking of invading South Korea anytime soon, why then would he be building barriers between the two sides, which only makes it harder to move troops across the border?"
North Korea finally reports actions taken to sever inter-Korean infrastructure and provides at least one clue as to what recent constitutional revisions entailed,
What else was passed and what additional actions might be necessary before revealing details is still an open question,
They are likely conscious of the extreme sensitivity of the matter of the west coast borderline,
There may still be an internal propaganda review underway about the appropriate way to disclose the constitutional revisions, but this confirmation was expected,
We don’t want war, but we have no intention of avoiding it,
North Korea still has repayment obligations regarding this funding,
This is an inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK Constitution which clearly defines the ROK as a hostile state,
We have always believed that maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and promoting a political settlement process to the peninsula issue aligns with the common interests of all parties,
The ongoing commitment to fortifying the southern border seems to reflect an intention to permanently solidify hostilities with the enemy state,
We also hope that all parties will work together to make constructive efforts towards this end,