In this file photo dated Aug 17, 2022, ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech during his news conference to mark his first 100 days in office at the presidential office in Seoul. (CHUNG SUNG-JUN / POOL / AFP)
SEOUL – The Republic of Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons, as the DPRK threatened to beef up its capability.
“North Korea is consistently developing and upgrading its nuclear weapons and posing nuclear threats to not only our Republic of Korea but the world,” Yoon said. The DPRK is also referred to as North Korea.
The Republic of Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol had advocated the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons during the election campaign before backtracking later. He said he was now listening to various opinions in Seoul and Washington but declined to comment further
“I believe it has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons.”
On Monday, the DPRK’s state media KCNA said leader Kim Jong-un had guided nuclear tactical exercises targeting the ROK over the past two weeks in protest over recent joint naval drills by the ROK and US forces involving an aircraft carrier.
ALSO READ: DPRK missile tests 'simulate striking ROK with nuke'
A recent flurry of missile tests was part of those exercises, designed to simulate showering the ROK with mock nuclear warheads, KCNA said.
Yoon had advocated the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons during the election campaign before backtracking later. He said he was now listening to various opinions in Seoul and Washington but declined to comment further.
The chief of the ROK’s progressive main opposition has accused Yoon of pursuing a “pro-Japan defense policy” which he said might end up stationing Japanese military forces in the ROK. Military cooperation with Japan is a sensitive issue due to the resentment over Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
When asked about the opposition chief’s remarks, Yoon said his concerns cannot be “justified in the face of nuclear threats,” without elaborating.
READ MORE: DPRK slams ROK-US joint drills for negative impact on region
The DPRK has launched an number of missile tests this year. On Sunday it fired two missiles, the seventh test since Sept 25, and last week it fired a ballistic missile that travelled further than ever before, sending it soaring over Japan for the first time since 2017.