US Will Respond Militarily if North Korea Attacks South: Seoul Spy Chief Nominee

South Korea Spy Chief Nominee: US Would Retaliate if North Korea Launches Nuclear Attack.

South Korea’s nominee for director of the National Intelligence Service, Lee Jong-seok, stated on Thursday that he believes the United States would respond with nuclear force if North Korea launched a nuclear attack on South Korea.

Lee made the assertion during his nomination hearing, in response to a question about whether he believed Washington would retaliate even if it risked American lives, particularly in light of Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities.

“Yes, that is my belief,” Lee said, adding that such a scenario would directly involve the U.S.–South Korea security alliance.

North Korea has long pursued nuclear weapons and is believed to possess sufficient fissile material for multiple warheads. However, the country has not yet publicly tested a missile equipped with a nuclear warhead.

Lee has been nominated by newly elected President Lee Jae Myung, who took office on June 4, to lead South Korea’s main intelligence agency at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.