Biden denies planning nuclear exercises with South Korea [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told a local newspaper that U.S. officials are “quite positive” about conducting joint nuclear exercises.
• Yoon said that the effort aims to deter North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has been frequently testing out missiles in recent weeks.
• U.S. President Joe Biden shut down the suggested exercises with a firm “no.”

U.S. President Joe Biden flat-out denied discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea, shutting down President Yoon Suk-yeol’s optimistic outlook about the idea.

Yoon had said that U.S. officials are “quite positive” about conducting joint military exercises involving nuclear weapons, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday.

Hours later, Biden was returning to Washington from a donor’s St. Croix beach home when he was asked about it by reporters on the White House lawn.

The reporter asked the president if he was “discussing joint nuclear exercises with South Korea right now.” Biden shot a disbelieving look while replying with a firm “No.”

It’s still unclear if there are any talks that the president is unaware of since the White House is yet to provide additional information.

On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shared his new year resolution of an “exponential” increase in North Korea’s nuclear weapon arsenal. The nation has added at least a few dozen bombs since 2006.

The North Korean dictator has met three times with former President Donald Trump but has reportedly ignored American outreach since Biden took office.

On Monday, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper asked Yoon about conducting nuclear exercises to discourage Kim.

Yoon replied, “The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, exercises, and training should be jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States.”

Yoon, who took office in May, previously had an awkward interaction with his U.S. counterpart.

Back in September, Yoon was caught in a hot mic incident at a United Nations event in New York City. He was referring to Biden’s $6 billion pledge to global health projects and its possible stalling in Congress.

The Washington Post published a translation of Yoon’s statement to his aides: “It would be so humiliating for Biden if these idiots don’t pass it in Congress.” The South China Morning Post shared a different translation of Yoon’s statement: “How could Biden not lose damn face if these f–ers do not pass it in Congress?”

Source: New York Post