South Korean president's visit to Washington confirms that the country is dependent on the US, says report. Global Times

247 - "It appears that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sees or identifies the Washington Declaration as the greatest achievement of his visit to the US. He described it, in passionate language, as an 'unprecedented' commitment by the US. The Washington Declaration, issued after Yoon's conversation with US President Joe Biden, has two main contents: the establishment of a new Nuclear Advisory Group (NCG) and the upcoming visit of a US nuclear ballistic missile submarine to South Korea, for the first time in over 40 years. It is said to strengthen 'extended deterrence' against North Korea," writes the source. Global Times in an editorial.

Here is the full text:

In other words, Yoon wants to bring back a "nuclear umbrella" from the US. However, compared to the various gifts he brought to the US and the cost to South Korean interests on this visit, this "nuclear umbrella" seems unrealistic and will only bring new risks. Not only is it not a report of achievements for the domestic audience in South Korea, but it is also highly likely to ignite a new round of tension on the Korean Peninsula. His hidden side – targeting China – is also a potential danger to South Korea. Faced with Yoon's return from the United States, lucid South Koreans will be worried and cannot be delighted.

Some US media outlets described the declaration as "a fig leaf" (used to hide embarrassment) for the US to dissuade South Korea from becoming nuclear, but its negative impact on South Korea is obviously more than that. It is ironic to call it a "diplomatic achievement" or "a victory for the Yoon government." Instead of saying it received an unprecedented commitment to nuclear protection, it clearly lost its unprecedented autonomy.

The real "winner" is Washington. It cost almost nothing, and with a declaration of little practical use, it traded the "substance" of the US for the "face" of South Korea. The Yoon administration wanted "nuclear sharing," but the US did not soften its stance, and South Korea had no say in nuclear decision-making. Elevating the irregular nuclear dialogue mechanism to a regular one and regularly sending Ohio-class nuclear submarines deployed in Guam to South Korea is more of a psychological comfort for South Korea, but for Northeast Asia it's like inviting a wolf into the house. 

The root cause of the long-standing nuclear issue on the peninsula lies with the US. If South Korea truly wants a sense of security, it needs to urge the US to adopt a more responsible attitude in formulating its policy toward North Korea and work with all parties to advance the denuclearization process on the peninsula. 

Bringing US nuclear power to the peninsula will inevitably create strong stimuli in North Korea and further exacerbate the security dilemma on the Korean peninsula. The security of the peninsula is indivisible, and joint security is the inevitable choice to achieve lasting peace. South Korea is truly on the wrong path. In this sense, the lessons learned from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are profound. 

With its president's visit to the US, South Korea did not achieve the autonomy it hoped for. Instead, the US gained even deeper control over the country. This is most clearly reflected in the Joint Leaders' Declaration Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Alliance between the United States of America and the Republic of Korea, issued on the same day as the Washington Declaration. The declaration's position on regional and international issues is entirely in line with Washington's tone in terms of content and language. Although it is called a joint declaration, South Korea is only a signatory. The joint declaration speaks ambiguously of so-called "economic coercion" and once again mentions "peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." Being a signatory to such a joint declaration will damage mutual trust with China. 

In the joint press conference following the meeting between Joe Biden and Yoon, the US side spoke almost exclusively about how these "achievements" would advance US interests, and journalists were more concerned with US domestic affairs. Some netizens described South Korean interests as equivalent to air in this press conference. This undoubtedly made Yoon's mention of a "true global alliance" in the press conference even more bizarre.

Recently, there have been media reports that the White House "asked" Seoul to pressure South Korean chip manufacturers not to increase chip sales to China when China investigated the American company Micron Technology, to prevent Korean companies from exploiting the gap left in the market by American companies. This is a true reflection of the US-South Korea relationship. Previously, South Korea spoke of "diplomatic relations with four major powers," but now it has become completely one-sided in relation to the US, and it is inevitable that it will lose its balance and even lose its way.

American Newsweek published an article during Yoon's visit to the US, suggesting that "it's time for an East Asian NATO," advocating for a so-called "economic NATO" based on democratic values ​​with the US, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in the Chinese region. This is a malicious and cunning proposal from those who see the US as "controlling" South Korea. South Korea's growing dependence on the US is a vulnerability that the US has exploited. Some have said that, of all the governments in South Korean history, the Yoon government may be the least independent of the US, and this visit to the US undoubtedly confirms that assessment.