Hong Jun-pyo "Let Us Also Have Nukes"... Proposes Legislation to Justify Nuclear Possession

"North Korea Security Achieved Through Armed Peace"... Marine Special Forces Establishment and Inter-Korean Nuclear Balance Included in Law

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] On the 6th, Representative Hong Jun-pyo proposed a bill to explicitly allow South Korea to possess nuclear weapons under the law. The bill also includes provisions to establish a Marine Special Forces by integrating the Marine Corps and Special Forces, reorganizing the Republic of Korea Armed Forces into a four-branch system.

Representative Hong announced that he had introduced the amendment to the National Armed Forces Organization Act on the same day. This is the fourth "Good Society Making" bill following the ▲three laws on redevelopment and deregulation of redevelopment ▲laws easing regulations on the minimum wage system and the 52-hour workweek ▲laws prioritizing the execution of the death penalty for heinous and crimes against humanity.

The amendment mainly aims to reorganize the current three-branch system of the Army, Navy, and Air Force into a four-branch system by establishing the Marine Special Forces. The Marine Corps will be separated from the Navy, and the Special Forces from the Army, then integrated into the Marine Special Forces to significantly enhance special operations capabilities. The Chief of Staff of the Marine Special Forces will be a four-star general, and the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff will be appointed from different backgrounds and affiliations.

Representative Hong explained the background of the proposal, saying, "As inter-Korean relations have deteriorated due to North Korea's demolition of the inter-Korean joint liaison office, military tensions are escalating, making it necessary to drastically reorganize the command structure of the armed forces. To deter the threat posed by approximately 100,000 North Korean special forces and to effectively carry out infiltration and landing operations by our special forces in emergencies, it is urgently necessary to establish an integrated command system for the Marine Corps and Special Forces and to acquire infiltration assets and equipment, which currently heavily rely on the U.S. Forces Korea, in a groundbreaking manner."

The amendment also includes, for the first time in law, a policy of nuclear balance. It establishes a separate provision containing the basic principle of national defense: "To realize deterrence of nuclear threats and denuclearization through nuclear balance between South and North Korea," effectively creating a legal basis for South Korea to possess nuclear weapons.

Representative Hong emphasized, "In the face of the actualization of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea must protect the lives and property of its people by maintaining armed peace based on the superiority of power through nuclear balance between South and North Korea. Future security policies toward the North should be based on nuclear balance and armed peace theory, pursuing healthy systemic competition between the two Koreas."