Seventy years into their alliance, the U.S. and South Korea are adjusting to a shifting security environment in Northeast Asia. And amid these shifts, growing discussion in Seoul about developing an independent nuclear weapons capability — including earlier this year by Yoon himself — has raised concerns in Washington.

It’s in this context that the U.S. and South Korea released a statement titled the Washington Declaration on Wednesday, during ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the U.S. capital. 

This document serves as a two-way exchange of reassurances: Washington offers new extended