US, S.Korea Pledge Swift Response to Any Nuclear Attack from N.Korea

US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea against South Korea will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response. This came in a joint statement by the two sides following their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit held in Washington, DC. The two presidents highlighted the tremendous progress in joint deterrence efforts, and praised the signing of the Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula, which places a foundation for enhancing US-South Korea deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner. "The Guidelines document provides guidance to Alliance policy and military authorities in maintaining and strengthening a credible and effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture," Yonhap News Agency said. South Korea and the United States are expected to hold joint exercises in late August that will reflect some of the aforementioned guidelines for the first time. Source: Qatar News Age ncy