[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Growing Nuclear Armament Debate... Is It Feasible?

Nuclear Armament Theory Emerges Amid North Korea Provocations Centered in Political Circles
Proposes NATO-Style Nuclear Sharing Agreement Considering International Nuclear Opinion

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As North Korea's missile provocations continue, there are growing calls within the political sphere to comprehensively reconsider South Korea's nuclear strategy toward the North, including the U.S. nuclear sharing arrangement.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min stated on Facebook, "Now we must create a new game changer," adding, "We need to start negotiations with U.S. President Joe Biden on nuclear sharing and redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons." Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also wrote on Facebook, "It is time to fully review the nuclear strategy toward North Korea," emphasizing, "National security is not peace spoken with words alone, but must be ‘armed peace’ through thorough military balance."

The recent calls for nuclear armament stem from the urgent need to secure the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear umbrella, but skepticism toward the nuclear umbrella, which operates based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance, is increasing. The recent enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the U.S., which provides subsidies only for electric vehicles produced domestically, reflects an ‘America First’ stance in the economic sector, further undermining trust in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

This is why support for nuclear armament continues among experts. Professor Lee Geun of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies, who served as chairman of the Korea Foundation (KF) during the Moon Jae-in administration, mentioned North Korea’s ‘legalization of nuclear force’ and said, "We must now acknowledge the irreversibility of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and consider our own nuclear force possession strategy in preparation."

Jung Sung-jang, head of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, said, "It is an excessive defeatist attitude to claim that South Korea alone cannot achieve nuclear armament goals that Israel, India, and Pakistan have attained," adding, "To realize a ‘South-North nuclear balance’ through independent nuclear armament, bipartisan cooperation and sophisticated persuasion strategies toward the U.S., China, and Japan are also necessary."

However, the current government takes a passive stance on redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons domestically as part of efforts to induce North Korea’s denuclearization. CNN reported in an interview with President Yoon Suk-yeol last May that "(President Yoon) ruled out the possibility of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula." Foreign Minister Park Jin also drew a clear line during a National Assembly confirmation hearing on May 2, stating, "South Korea and the U.S. are not discussing tactical nuclear deployment."

The current government’s reluctance toward tactical nuclear redeployment and nuclear armament stems from facing a highly political decision that would deviate from denuclearization norms pledged to the international community, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the South Korea-U.S. Atomic Energy Agreement, and the Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Some experts propose a NATO-style nuclear sharing agreement as an alternative. Since the U.S. is known to be opposed to deploying nuclear weapons within South Korea, the feasibility of nuclear armament is considered low. Countries such as Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and T?rkiye have operated a nuclear sharing system since the 1960s, deploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on their soil and coordinating their operation through nuclear planning groups. While the U.S. retains final authority over use, other non-nuclear alliance members jointly participate in decisions such as target selection.

Former director of the Korea Institute for National Unification Kim Tae-woo said, "South Korea should consider a NATO-style nuclear sharing agreement that allows participation in nuclear use decisions, deploy tactical nuclear weapons in nearby regions, operate air-to-ground combat aircraft, or maintain a constant presence of nuclear submarines in adjacent waters." He also suggested, "It is worth considering recommending nuclear armament for South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and forming a nuclear security cooperation framework among the four countries?South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan?such as a Nuclear QUAD."