In the aftermath of the failed meeting in Hanoi between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea, the North’s nuclear weapons arsenal has expanded so rapidly that American and South Korean officials have stopped trying to keep an exact count. North Korea’s missile tests are so frequent that they no longer make big headlines in Seoul. When President Biden welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea to the White House on Wednesday, there will be little pretense that disarming North Korea is still a viable goal. Instead, American officials say that Mr. Biden’s most significant commitment to Mr. Yoon will focus on “extended deterrence,” renewing a vow that America’s nuclear arsenal will be used, if necessary, to dissuade or respond to a North Korean nuclear attack on the South.
The emphasis on…
2023-04-26 02:00:14
Article from www.nytimes.com