South Korea Seeks to Deploy US Strategic Weapons Amid Heightened Nuclear Threats from North

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) walks around what it says a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the launcher, at an undisclosed location in North Korea, on March 24, 2022. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

South Korea’s defense ministry is reportedly seeking the deployment of U.S. strategic assets amid heightening tensions with North Korea. The two allies have agreed to reactivate a Trump-era consultation mechanism to further discuss the deterrence measures.

On April 4, South Korea and the United States have agreed to reactivate the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) to counter “any North Korean provocation,” according to Yonhap News Agency, citing the chief of president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation.

The EDSCG was established in 2016 by the Trump and Moon Jae-in administrations to ramp up discussions over various measures on extended deterrence against North Korea. But its talks have not been held since 2018, as both the United States and South Korea then worked on holding a summit with North Korea.

In late March, Seoul’s defense ministry told President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition team that it is looking to discuss the U.S. strategic asset deployment on South Korean soil via the potential reactivation of EDSCG, Yonhap reported.

Strategic assets refer to formidable U.S. military hardware, such as nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers, which are often used as a show of force to deter provocations or aggression by potential adversaries.

On March 28, after North Korea’s recent test launch of a banned intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and its repair activities at a closed nuclear testing site, Seoul’s defense ministry stressed again that it is necessary to consider re-deploying some U.S. strategic weapons.

Prior to North Korea’s ICBM launch, the United States and South Korea were already considering resuming combined drills involving U.S. nuclear-capable bombers on the Korean Peninsula, according to a Yonhap report.

The allies have reportedly discussed restarting the “Blue Lightning” training after about five years of suspension. Under the exercise, B-52H or B-1B bombers stationed in the U.S. Air Force’s Andersen Air Force Base in Guam are deployed to the peninsula to practice security operations. Fighters from South Korea or Japan are also mobilized to escort the long-range strategic bombers.

A U.S. Airforce B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber drops bombs in this undated file photo. U.S. Airforce/Getty Images

A South Korean local media speculates that, if the United States agrees to deployment, the first weapons to be sent to the Korean Peninsula will likely be the three major U.S. strategic bombers, B-52H, B-2, and B-1B. These bombers reportedly come with thousands of tons of firepower, capable of destroying specific North Korean targets and military bases within hours.

Among them, the B-1B strategic bomber is reportedly capable of reaching the peninsula in about four hours from the base in Guam. It is also capable of high-speed carpet-bombing, a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land.

U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers, top, and second from top, and South Korean fighter jets F-15K fly over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea, on June 20, 2017. South Korean Defense Ministry via AP, File

Meanwhile, the B-2 strategic bomber features stealth technology designed for penetrating tight air defenses. It is reportedly capable of avoiding radar detection and attenuating various signals, minimizing detection from infrared, visible light, and noise.

B-2 flies over Edwards Air Force Base in California, on Aug. 14, 2003. U.S. Air Force/Getty Images

The B-52H is a nuclear-capable, long-range heavy bomber. It can reportedly carry 31 tons of weapons, has a combat radius of nearly 4,000 miles, and a maximum flight range of almost 10,000 miles.

The X-51A Waverider, carried under the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress bomber, prepares to launch for its fourth and final flight over the Pacific Ocean, on May 1, 2013. U.S. Air Force, Bobbi Zapka/AP Photo

The strategic bombers, land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and nuclear-powered ballistic missile-carrying submarine (SSBN) are what’s called the “U.S. nuclear triad,” a three-pronged military force structure.

North Korea has conducted 13 missile tests since the start of the year, with the most recent on March 24, involving the test-launch of its largest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile, another breach of its announced moratorium in 2018, a suspension on nuclear and long-range missile testing. Experts described it as a “monster missile” capable of striking anywhere in the United States and beyond.

A test-fire of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), at an undisclosed location in North Korea, on March 24, 2022. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

Meanwhile, South Korean officials have reported new construction activities at the North’s only known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, which was shuttered in 2018.

South Korean officials believe that an expeditious repair of the North’s closed nuclear test site is underway. And that Pyongyang may be making rapid preparations to carry out a nuclear weapons test for the first time in more than four years, according to a Yonhap report.

On Friday, the United States imposed new sanctions on five entities it accused of providing support to North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, increasing pressure on Pyongyang following a recent series of missile launches.