MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday denied the need for the deployment of nuclear weapons on his country's soil despite the threat presented by the North as it may lead to a nuclear arms race in the region.
"I do not agree that South Korea needs to develop our own nuclear weapons or relocate tactical nuclear weapons in the face of North Korea's nuclear threat…. To respond to North Korea by having our own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to a nuclear arms race in northeast Asia," Moon told the CNN broadcaster.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump's recent tweet, Moon noted that Trump's words should not be interpreted "in a narrow way."
South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they o… https://t.co/MDCwHwwibP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTranp) 3 сентября 2017 г.
"I believe what President Trump wanted to say was that, not only South Korea and the United States, but also China and Russia all together need to respond very firmly against North Korea's nuclear provocations," Moon explained.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been high over recent months due to Pyongyang's repeated missile and nuclear tests on the one hand, and South Korea's joint military drills with the United States and deployment of the US weapons on its soil, on the other.
On Monday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to boost sanctions against North Korea, introducing a ban on the country's textile exports and a cap on crude oil imports, while also forbidding imports of all condensates and natural gas liquids.
I am allowing Japan & South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipme… https://t.co/TUdktlzyNb
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTranp) 5 сентября 2017 г.
