Key IssuesNortheast AsiaRegionalWeapons Proliferation

Allies demonstrate resolve in face of North Korea’s WMD threats

Felix Kim

North Korea’s threats to test or deploy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have sparked increased tension on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, as well as a redoubling of long-standing efforts by allies South Korea and the United States to counter any such use of WMD by Pyongyang.

According to security analysts, Seoul and Washington have unprecedented capabilities for responding to the use of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons by North Korea or any other regional actor.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) have bolstered operational plans for countering WMD threats, including through training amid Pyongyang’s recent missile test launches and other saber rattling, notably with the Able Response series of exercises, said Park Yong-han, an associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses’ Center for Security and Strategy, an affiliate of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense.

“Able Response is the most representative training, and South Korea has been conducting multilayered and specific training involving the USFK and various organizations within the South Korean government,” Park told FORUM.

He said the joint exercises, which are held in South Korea and the U.S., include a wide spectrum of activities, from detecting WMD use to enhancing cooperation between specialized units, including the ROK’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Command and the U.S. Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command.

The effort extends beyond the military, incorporating civilian government personnel from police and firefighters to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Together, such organizations can quickly respond to WMD events, including temporary isolation and decontamination of affected areas. The South Korean government also conducts annual drills to prepare for WMD events.

To ensure government continuity during a crisis, the allies have hardened and moved mobile facilities away from peacetime leadership locations, with communications and other equipment necessary to sustain command and control, Dr. Bruce Bennett, a Rand Corp. researcher focused on Northeast Asian military issues, told FORUM. There also are contingencies to maintain continuity in business and other crucial civilian activities.

Similarly, dispersal of military assets during heightened WMD threat levels is crucial, Bennett said.

The allies’ joint military response to any use of WMDs by North Korea outside its borders would be immediate, targeted and overwhelming. (Pictured: Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A fighter jets fly in formation with U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers and F-16 fighters during drills over South Korea in February 2023.)

Most crucial is a counterforce capability, notably missile defense, Bennett said. “If at all possible, you don’t want any North Korean missiles hitting the ground or delivering their weapons, whether they’re nuclear or chemical or biological,” he said. “So that’s the first thing you’re going to do.”

Felix Kim is a FORUM contributor reporting from Seoul, South Korea.

 

IMAGE CREDIT: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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