► As is customary to honor the commitment made between countries on the anniversary of signing, the ROK-US alliance is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Since the 70th birthday is considered a rare and significant event in Korea, the 70-year-history of the ROK-US alliance is certainly an exceptional milestone deserving of celebration, and even more so amidst a complex "diplomatic war" where no one can be fully trusted.

► In the early morning of the 27th (KST), President Yoon Suk-yeol and President Joe Biden announced the "Washington Declaration". The core of the declaration can be boiled down to two key issues - the "Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)" and "emphasizing a spirit of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula." 

► It is incredibly fortunate that in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, the presidents of Korea and the United States can successfully maintained Korea's image as a peace-pursuing nation with the "spirit of denuclearization" conveyed through the "Washington Declaration."

The ROK-US alliance was signed in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 1953. At that time, the representative on the Korean side was Foreign Minister Pyon Yong-tae. The alliance, which Korea and the United States worked together closely on to refine and fully flesh out, officially took effect about one year later, on November 18, 1954. As is customary to honor the commitment made between countries on the anniversary of signing, the ROK-US alliance is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Since the 70th birthday is considered a rare and significant event in Korea, the 70-year-history of the ROK-US alliance is certainly an exceptional milestone deserving of celebration, and even more so amidst a complex "diplomatic war" where no one can be fully trusted.

In the early morning of the 27th (KST), President Yoon Suk-yeol and President Joe Biden announced the "Washington Declaration". The core of the declaration can be boiled down to two key issues - the "Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)" and "emphasizing a spirit of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula." To break it down even further, simply put, the establishment of the NCG means that Korea and the US have agreed to consult on the use of nuclear force in a variety of ways at the level of NATO. Of course, the US still retains the final say on the use of nuclear force, and no one is questioning this point. However, nuclear force policies span across a wide range of levels, and, especially when it comes to maintaining deterrence against the North, if the Korean government's opinions, information, choices, stance, and policies can be institutionally included at various levels, the North Korean nuclear issue can be managed much more effectively in the future. Thus, it appears that President Yoon has appropriately lived up to the level of responsibility granted to him to defend Korea's foreign affairs and national security.

As for the second issue, it accomplishes several goals. According to public opinion polls conducted by various organizations since last year, when asked if "Korea should attempt to acquire its own nuclear weapons," around sixty percent of survey respondents chose "Agree". As a scholar of international politics, I found these results quite discouraging. Among other things, such a decision could shatter Korea's "image as a peace-pursuing nation," which the country has obtained over many years of sacrifice. Moreover, we cannot accept the possibility of a "nuclear confrontation between the South and the North." It is incredibly fortunate that in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, the presidents of Korea and the United States can successfully maintained Korea's image as a peace-pursuing nation with the "spirit of denuclearization" conveyed through the "Washington Declaration." At the same time, "the spirit of denuclearization" is a clever maneuver that can pave a path for North Korea to gracefully return to denuclearization negotiations. Considering the North's current behavior, this is unlikely to happen right away, but this move can serve as a meaningful foundation for pressuring the North to denuclearize in the future. In addition, the two leaders agreed that the next 70 years of the ROK-US alliance will be focused on an economic alliance. More specifically, they pledged to boost cooperation and pursue mutual interests across several high-tech industries. Some might say that this is not enough to appease Korean citizens who were upset by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), but there will be many more mountains to climb in the future of the alliance as Korea and the US move forward together. Rather than succumbing to the highs and lows, it is better to learn from our mistakes, and at the same time, actively secure our national interests. I hope that the ROK-US alliance, which is regarded as one of the most successful models out of the United States' over forty alliance partnerships,  will use the "Washington Declaration" as a steppingstone to a more mature and mutually beneficial partnership in the future.