US Agrees to Large New Arms Sales to South Korea

Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ weekend visit to South Korea was not simply the latest in a long line of US official visits to the region to talk up the possibility of an imminent war with North Korea. Rather, it was about finalizing a major new arms package.

Details on the exact nature of the arms package are not yet public, but South Korea was said to be interested particularly in more advanced missiles and substantial new artillery capabilities, all designed for use in a war with North Korea.

This arms sale reportedly comes with a bonus, as in addition to the US selling the costly armaments to South Korea, they are said to have been pledged the presence of US nuclear weapons in the region, to potentially nuke the North Koreans.

Details on this too aren’t clear, as South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in has been very clear about not wanting to host US nuclear weapons in South Korea, somrthing that the US stopped doing years ago.