South Korean President Calls North Korea's Nuclear Program A Threat, But Not Beneficial

JAKARTA - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday that North Korea had gained nothing from nuclear weapons, as the isolated nation threatened to increase its ability to attack its southern neighbor.

"North Korea has consistently developed and upgraded its nuclear weapons and poses a nuclear threat not only to our Republic of Korea but also to the world," President Yoon told reporters, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"I believe there is nothing to gain from nuclear weapons," he said.

On Monday, North Korean state media KCNA said leader Kim Jong-un had guided tactical nuclear drills targeting South Korea for the past two weeks, in protest at a recent joint naval exercise by South Korean and US forces involving a ship. parent.

The recent series of missile tests were part of the drill, which was designed to simulate South Korea with a mock nuclear warhead, KCNA said.

President Yoon said he would build strong capabilities to counter the North Korean threat, through the US alliance and trilateral security cooperation with Japan.

North Korea's increasingly explicit nuclear threat has sparked a furor in Seoul, with some politicians and scholars calling for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons.

Note, North Korea has launched an unprecedented number of missile tests, from January to October.