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In a meeting between the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before the annual Security Consultative Meeting on Wednesday, our government called for a ˇ°detailed guaranteeˇ± of a U.S. nuclear umbrella in response to North Korea's nuclear test. The U.S. agreed and mandated U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Burwell Bell to draw up detailed plans for the umbrella.
In the last SCM only a year ago, the government asked for the term ˇ°nuclear umbrellaˇ± to be deleted, but the U.S. refused saying it may send the wrong signal to the North that the U.S. will not use its nuclear deterrent on the Korean Peninsula. Here now is the complete U-turn. As it transpires, the administration was aware of North Korea's nuclear development when it asked to fold the nuclear umbrella and completely hid the fact from the public.
First, Cheong Wa Dae explained officials with the National Security Council secretariat tried to ˇ°reviseˇ± the term ˇ°nuclear umbrellaˇ±, but there were no attempts to eliminate or give up the idea. But U.S. officials and South Korean foreign and defense ministry officials testified that Seoul suggested the article on the nuclear umbrella be scrapped. Cheong Wa Dae should ask the National Assembly to investigate the truth.
Second, government officials said ˇ°senior NSC officialsˇ± insisted on eliminating the nuclear umbrella. At the time, former unification minister Chung Dong-youn served as the NSC director general, and incumbent Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok was the assistant. What roles did they play in making the request? If President Roh Moo-hyun was aware of this, when and how did he respond? If he was not aware, why was he not briefed on such an important matter?
Third, government officials said the reason why the request for eliminating the term was made was that North Korea promised to give up its nuclear program in the six-party talks on its nuclear program in September last year, just before the SCM. ˇ°We were concerned that the North would resist if the term appeared in the SCM statement,ˇ± one said. North Korea already announced it has nuclear weapons in February last year. That means government officials pushed to eliminate the nuclear deterrent here, the guarantee for our safety, on a mere promise from the North and without verifying that it was really dismantling its nuclear facilities.
Over the decades, North Korea has consistently demanded that the nuclear umbrella be removed, that our National Security Law be scrapped, that there should be changes in the structure where the U.S. and South Korea jointly exercise wartime operational control, and that the Northern Limit Line should be revised. In doing so, it tried to disarm us militarily and psychologically. Since the current government took office, some of these demands were met and others were only rejected because of massive public opposition here. Now it seems clear that the government wanted rid of the nuclear umbrella without the public finding out as well. We need a thorough investigation to find those responsible. If we don't, they will keep shaking the bedrock of our security to its foundation to further their aims.
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