South Korea insists joint military plans with US do not involve nuclear weapons, disputing claims in Bob Woodward book
- The South Korean government was responding to claims that the US had devised plans for a possible armed clash with North Korea
- Kim Jong-un has urged South Korea-US military exercises be cancelled or postponed before further negotiations
The passage fuelled debate in South Korea over whether it meant Washington or Pyongyang would detonate 80 bombs against each other.
Seoul’s defence ministry said on Tuesday its joint operational plans (OPLAN) with the United States did not include any use of nuclear weapons, reiterating the view of the presidential office.
A presidential official said on Monday there must not be another war on the peninsula and any use of force cannot be implemented without South Korea’s consent.
“I can say clearly that the use of a nuclear weapon does not exist in our OPLANs, and it is impossible to use military force without our agreement,” the official told reporters.
Seoul officials say there appears to be confusion in the book because the OPLAN 5027 it referred to was not designed for nuclear war but to map out troop deployment plans and key targets.