Officials in South Korea are calling for the country to develop its own nuclear weapons in order to deter North Korean aggression. Reuters reports that Won Yoo-chul, a senior leader in the ruling Saenuri party, has stated that South Korea should not have to depend on the United States’ nuclear umbrella for protection – or, as he put it, "we can't borrow umbrellas from next-door every time it rains.” Two recent polls in South Korea found that over 50% of respondents are in favor of South Korea pursuing nuclear weapons. Calls for nuclear weapons in South Korea tend to increase whenever North Korea tests a nuclear device, so the current surge in support will likely wane as the threat from the north decreases.
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+
Member.
Related Articles
Will Anything Stop Iran's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons?
OPINION -- The weekend bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow surprised the leadership in Tehran. It shouldn’t have, given [...] More
A Nuclear War is Unwinnable, So Why Do We Keep Preparing for One?
OPINION — “We must prepare for a world where constraints on nuclear weapons arsenals disappear entirely, modernizing U.S. nuclear capabilities today [...] More
