South Korea says it won’t seek nukes

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday that his government will pursue diplomacy with North Korea rather than seek its own nuclear deterrent—even after North Korea test-fired two suspected cruise missiles only hours earlier. Yoon asked for peace rather than regime change in North Korea—on Monday, he proposed an enormous aid package for the North if it abandons its nuclear program. The package matches offers by South Korea that North Korea has rejected in the past. 

What’s the context for this announcement? The North’s missile test, and Yoon’s comments, come as the United States and South Korea prepare for their biggest combined training session in years next week. In the past, North Korea has considered similar drills as invasion rehearsals. The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command also said Tuesday that it carried out a successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. For its own part, North Korea’s military is very actively drilling in 2022, with over 30 ballistic missile tests already.

Dig deeper: Listen to my piece on The World and Everything in It podcast about how North Korea’s nuclear tests are an attempt to get concessions from the United States.