Gates says U.S. will use every available strength to protect S. Korea

By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 15 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said
Monday his country will use all means necessary, including nuclear arms, to
defend South Korea against any military threats from North Korea as Pyongyang
recently said it will build up its nuclear arsenal despite international
condemnations for its latest nuclear test.

"Secretary Gates reaffirmed the United States will fulfill its commitment to the
joint defense of South Korea through all necessary means, such as the provision
of a nuclear umbrella," a spokesman for South Korea's presidential office said of
a meeting between Gates and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held here.
The South Korean president arrived here earlier Monday on a three-day visit,
during which he is scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, for
summit talks.
"President Lee expressed his wish that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will be
developed into a strategic alliance that can meet all the future needs of the
countries on security, economic and environment issues," spokesman Lee Dong-kwan
said in a press release.
Washington has repeatedly reaffirmed its provision of extended deterrence to
South Korea since 1992, when it withdrew all its nuclear capabilities from the
Korean Peninsula. However, a renewal of the U.S. commitment has recently been
called for, especially since the communist North conducted its second nuclear
test on May 25.
Lee and the U.S. defense secretary noted the alliance between their countries,
forged in the battlefields of the 1950-53 Korean War, has significantly
contributed to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast
Asia, and said they will continue to cooperate to have complete and verifiable
denuclearization of the North, the press release said.
Lee and the U.S. president were expected to sign a joint statement at the end of
their summit Tuesday that will provide a detailed course of actions for the
allies to develop their bilateral relationship into a strategic, future-oriented
alliance that will enable future cooperation not only on security, but also
economic, social and political issues.
The statement will also include Washington's provision of extended deterrence,
including a nuclear umbrella, to Seoul, according to South Korean officials
accompanying the president.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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