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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 4 January 2023
South Korea: Talks with US on management of nukes underway

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associ- U.S. president. Yoon’s office
ated Press didn’t provide many details
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) about his government’s
— South Korea confirmed discussion with the United
Tuesday that Seoul and States. Some observers say
Washington are discussing South Korea is seeking to
its involvement in U.S. nu- obtain a greater role in the
clear weapons manage- U.S. decision-making pro-
ment in the face of intensi- cess on the deployment of
fying North Korean nuclear its nuclear assets in times of
threats, after President Joe tensions with North Korea.
Biden denied that the allies Kim Taewoo, a former
were discussing joint nucle- head of Seoul’s Korea In-
ar exercises. stitute for National Unifi-
The purported difference cation, said the reported
came after North Korean South Korea-U.S. discus-
leader Kim Jong Un entered sion likely “benchmarked a
the new year with a vow to NATO-style nuclear-sharing
mass-produce battlefield arrangement” that allows
nuclear weapons targeting NATO member states’ war-
South Korea and introduce planes to carry U.S. nuclear
a more powerful intercon- weapons. He said the dis-
tinental ballistic missile ca- cussion still appears to be
pable of striking the main- In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, falling short of the NATO
land U.S. Some experts say attends a ceremony of donating 600mm super-large multiple launch rocket system at a garden arrangement because
of the Workers’ Party of Korea headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.
Kim would eventually aim Associated Press possible nuclear exercises
to use his enlarged weap- between the two countries
ons arsenal to wrest outside cials are expected to hold press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, ning, intel-sharing and ex- would likely be South Kore-
concessions like sanctions table-top exercises soon to issued a statement Tues- ercises involving them must an air force aircraft escort-
relief. South Korean Presi- chart out a potential joint day saying that Seoul and be jointly conducted with ing U.S. aircraft simulating
dent Yoon Suk Yeol said response to a range of sce- Washington “are discuss- South Korea. He said he nuclear strikes during joint
in a newspaper interview narios, including deploy- ing an intel-sharing, a joint finds it difficult to assure his drills. “North Korea would
published Monday that the ment of a nuclear weapon planning and subsequent people of a security guar- take this sensitively. (South
two countries were pushing by the North, according to joint execution plans over antee with the current lev- Korea and the U.S.) are
for joint planning and train- a senior Biden administra- the management of U.S. els of U.S. security commit- discussing this to get North
ing involving U.S. nuclear tion official who spoke on nuclear assets in response ment. Korea to take this sensitively
assets and that the United the condition of anonymity to North Korea’s nuclear South Korea has no nuclear … because that can be a
States responded positive- to discuss planning. (threats).” weapons and is under the deterrence against North
ly to the idea. Asked by a The White House National Kim said Biden likely an- protection of a U.S. “nuclear Korea,” Kim Taewoo said.
reporter later at the White Security Council in state- swered “no” because a umbrella,” which guaran- He said South Korea and
House about whether the ment on Tuesday said Biden reporter tersely asked him tees a devastating Ameri- the United States are likely
two countries were discuss- and Yoon have “tasked about nuclear exercises can response in the event using unofficial channels to
ing joint nuclear exercises, their teams to plan for an without providing any of an attack on its ally. But discuss the topic. That al-
Biden replied, “No.” effective coordinated re- background information. some experts question the lows South Korea to claim
North Korea’s recent tests sponse to a range of sce- In the Chosun Ilbo inter- effectiveness of such a se- it’s discussing the issue with
have caused growing wor- narios, including nuclear view, Yoon said that while curity commitment, saying the U.S. at the same time it
ry in Seoul and Washington. use by North Korea.” the U.S. nuclear weapons the decision to use U.S. nu- allows Washington to deny
U.S. and South Korean offi- Yoon’s top adviser for belong to the U.S., plan- clear weapons lies with the that, he said. q

Poland’s conservative premier in favor of death penalty

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — a public question-and-an- penalty.”
Polish Prime Minister Ma- swer session with Facebook He called its abolition a
teusz Morawiecki has sur- users. “premature invention.”
prisingly spoken in favor of Asked by an apparent Some opposition lawmak-
the death penalty and ad- critic if the death penalty ers, including Monika Falej,
mitted he doesn’t share the could stop his government noted that such views are
view of the Roman Catho- from doing more harm to characteristic of authoritar-
lic Church on the matter. society, Morawiecki said it ian rulers.
It seemed to be an isolated was a sharp question, but Poland abolished the
view among leaders within went on to answer it. death penalty in 1997, as it
the 27-member European “In my opinion, the death was shedding some com-
Union, which doesn’t have penalty should be admissi- munist-era regulations and
capital punishment. His ble for the heaviest crimes,” preparing to join the EU. In
words drew criticism from Morawiecki said, stressing 2013, Poland ratified a pro-
the opposition. that “I do not agree on the tocol of the European Con-
Morawiecki, a practicing matter with the teaching of vention of Human Rights Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks with the
Catholic, made the com- the church, because I am that totally abolishes capi- media as he arrives for an EU summit in Brussels on Oct. 21, 2022.
ments late Monday during a supporter of the death tal punishment.q Associated Press