South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said that the alliance with the U.S. has upgraded to a nuclear one to defend his country.
Speaking at an event on Memorial Day at Seoul, Yoon said his meeting with President Joe Biden has dramatically strengthened the extended deterrence.
"President Biden and I jointly announced the Washington Declaration in April, which dramatically strengthens the extended deterrence execution of U.S. nuclear assets. The South Korea-U.S. alliance has now been upgraded to a nuclear-based alliance," Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency quoted Yoon as saying.
Yoon added that North Korea has legalized the use of nuclear weapons and advanced their nuclear missile capabilities, according to the report.
In April, the U.S. and South Korea announced a new deal that aims to deter North Korea from using nuclear and ballistic missiles.
Under the Washington Declaration, the two sides agreed to resume U.S. nuclear armed submarines docking in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years.
The two countries also agreed to establish a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in order to "strengthen extended deterrence."