US will use nukes if necessary to defend S Korea: Rumsfeld

Press Trust of India
Washington, November 18

The United States will use nuclear weapons if necessary to defend South Korea against North Korea, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said.

"We understand that weakness can be provocative, that weakness can invite people into doing things that they otherwise might not even consider." Rumsfeld, appearing at a joint news conference on Monday in Seoul with South Korean Defence Minister Ch Young-kil said.

A joint statement by the two countries after the talks said that the US commitment to South Korea includes "the continued provision of a nuclear umbrella for South Korea".