Almost all South Korean publications fully cited the statement of the five nuclear powers, drawing attention to the fact that despite the differences, these countries were able to agree and adopt a joint statement. “Currently, there is a confrontation between the United States and Russia around Ukraine, fears are growing about a possible return to the Cold War era, strategic competition between the United States and China is increasing, but despite this, all five nuclear powers understand and share a common concern about the consequences of a nuclear war that extremely important in the current situation, – notes the South Korean news agency “Yonghap”.
The influential Chunan Ilbo newspaper expresses a similar view, adding that “the statement was adopted on the eve of Russia’s pending talks with NATO and the OSCE.”
The English-language newspaper The Korea Times paid special attention to the statements of the nuclear powers about the most important responsibility in terms of “preventing war between the countries possessing nuclear weapons and reducing strategic risks.” “This statement was adopted when there is significant tension between Russia and China, on the one hand, and the Western countries on the other, over a series of key issues,” the newspaper notes.
Regarding the impact of the statement on the general situation in the world, the South Korean media point to positive aspects. “The fact that the United States, other Western countries, as well as Russia and China, opposing each other, were able to get together, agree – all this, as it is seen, will have a positive effect on reducing tensions and creating an atmosphere favorable for activating a peaceful dialogue,” says the Yonghap comments: – This document appears to be, at least to some extent, a movement towards nuclear disarmament, about which the nuclear five has been criticized by many other countries, who have indicated that the nuclear club is doing nothing for the collapse of its own nuclear arsenals, “- the agency’s analysts emphasize.
At the same time, Seoul is trying to understand how the statement of the “nuclear five” will affect the situation on the Korean Peninsula. One of the main questions that worries South Korean analysts is what this means for the “nuclear umbrella” system, with which the United States shields its allies, including South Korea, from a possible attack by other nuclear powers. “Given that this statement focuses on the need to prevent nuclear war and the need to use nuclear weapons exclusively for defensive purposes, the direct impact on the US nuclear umbrella concept will be small,” Yonghap said.
On the other hand, it is noted with regret that this statement is in the nature of a voluntary expression of intent, and not a document bearing any legal obligations, and at the same time will not particularly affect the danger most close to Seoul – nuclear North Korea. “A certain drawback of the statement is the fact that he, in fact, has nothing to do with violators of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, including North Korea,” Yonghap states.
“For our situation, it is extremely important how this statement will affect North Korea’s efforts to develop and improve its nuclear weapons, when the document is adopted with the participation and with the active support of the main allies of the DPRK – China and Russia,” Chunan Ilbo asks. emphasizing also that the document itself as a whole, according to the Kremlin’s statement, was adopted at the initiative of Moscow, which advocates the weakening of international sanctions against Pyongyang.
“We see that the nuclear powers, no matter how they compete with each other, understand that it is impossible to bring matters to the point of no return, when a war with the use of atomic weapons can put an end to human civilization in general. All nuclear countries, including China and Russia, have accepted this. statement, the Olympic Games in Beijing will begin soon, where the DPRK will also take part … As it seems, we need to carefully study the current situation and put forward our proposals and initiatives for North Korea in terms of strengthening stability in the region, “- said Professor Kim Jong Young during held on January 4 in the South Korean capital of the round table “Forum of Unification”, held by the Institute of Peace and Unification of Seoul University.
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