South Korea says Seoul and Washington are discussing its participation in the management of US nuclear assets in the face of rising North Korean nuclear threats.

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The announcement came after US President Joe Biden denied reports that the allies were discussing joint nuclear exercises, AP NEWS reports..

The confusion came as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un entered the new year with a promise to mass-produce military-grade nuclear weapons aimed at South Korea and introduce a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland..

Some experts say Kim will eventually seek to use his expanded arsenal of weapons to extract external concessions, such as sanctions relief..

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, in a newspaper interview released on Monday, said the United States welcomed the idea of \u200b\u200bjoint planning and training involving US nuclear weapons..

Asked by a reporter later at the White House if the two countries had discussed joint nuclear exercises, Biden replied, "

On Tuesday, Yun's top press adviser Kim Eun-hye released a statement saying that Seoul and Washington are "

She said Biden probably said "

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In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Yoon said that although American nuclear weapons belong to the United States, planning, information exchange and exercises with their participation should be carried out jointly with South Korea.. He said he found it difficult to reassure his people of a security guarantee at the current level of U.S. security commitments..

South Korea does not have nuclear weapons and is under the protection of the US " However, some experts question the effectiveness of such a security commitment, arguing that it is up to the President of the United States to use US nuclear weapons..

Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests, launching a slew of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and its allies South Korea and Japan.. In September, North Korea also passed a new law allowing the preemptive use of its bombs in a wide range of cases, including non-military scenarios..

Following their annual meeting in November, the U.S.

and South Korean defense chiefs released a joint statement reaffirming the U.S. commitment to an extended deterrence of South Korea and the timely and coordinated deployment of U.S. strategic capabilities as needed, and outlined new steps to strengthen the deterrence of North Korean threats.. The statement also contained an agreement to strengthen the exchange of information, joint planning and execution.

Recall that during a recently concluded meeting of the ruling party, Kim Jong-un ordered "