Seoul Mayor in Reuters Interview: "South Korea Should Also Have Nuclear Weapons"
Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min Also Support Nuclear Armament Theory
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, has drawn attention to the background of his remarks after mentioning the 'nuclear armament theory' in an interview with foreign media. He has previously supported the 'nuclear armament theory,' mainly among conservative circles, by repeatedly emphasizing the necessity of possessing nuclear weapons independently.
Moreover, other conservative presidential candidates are also advocating for the need for nuclear armament or nuclear sharing. The fact that over 70% of the public in multiple opinion polls desire nuclear armament can also be seen as a background for these strong statements.
In an interview with Reuters on the 13th, Mayor Oh said in response to a question about the need to enhance South Korea's security due to North Korea's nuclear advancement, "The time is approaching when South Korea must also possess nuclear weapons," adding, "South Korea's claim for nuclear armament will gradually gain strength (in the international community) as well."
He explained, "Even five years ago, the idea that our government would develop its own nuclear weapons was taboo," and "In a situation where it is becoming established as a fact that North Korea has succeeded in miniaturizing and lightening tactical nuclear weapons and possesses several dozen nuclear warheads, albeit not precisely known, it is becoming increasingly difficult to persuade the public with the logic that we must refrain from developing nuclear weapons ourselves due to the justification of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Mayor Oh has advocated for nuclear armament several times in the past. On the 23rd of last month, marking the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, he stated on social media, "Through the Ukraine war, I deeply feel once again the reality that 'peace without power is an illusion.' Especially, the difference between 'nuclear-armed Russia' and 'nuclear-free Ukraine' is stark," and raised his voice, saying, "This is the reason why South Korea must keep the option of nuclear armament open to face nuclear-armed North Korea."
When President Yoon Suk-yeol first mentioned 'independent nuclear armament' in January and faced criticism from the Democratic Party, Mayor Oh emphasized on social media, "The Democratic Party bears the original sin of having only bought time for North Korea's nuclear advancement by going along with North Korea's disguised peace offensive during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration," and stressed, "We need to consider an 'active nuclear umbrella' strategy that we and the U.S. can deploy and use together, or even independent nuclear armament." In October last year, he also shared a conservative media article titled 'It is hard to trust the U.S. nuclear umbrella' on social media, saying, "I strongly agree."
His emphasis on the necessity of nuclear armament seems closely related to the fact that conservative presidential candidates across the board are taking a hardline stance on nuclear issues. Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min have also mentioned the need for nuclear armament, and lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo has proposed a 'Korean-style nuclear sharing' that shares nuclear weapons at U.S. military bases in Guam and Okinawa. In the recent People Power Party leadership race, candidates uniformly adopted a hardline nuclear stance.
This is because, as North Korea's nuclear advancement progresses and the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons becomes a reality, the public generally supports a hardline nuclear stance. According to a survey conducted by the Choi Jong-hyun Institute commissioned by Gallup Korea from late November to mid-December last year, targeting 1,000 adults aged 18 and over, 77.6% recognized that "North Korea's denuclearization is impossible," 48.6% responded "No" when asked whether the U.S. would exercise nuclear deterrence in the event of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula, and 76.6% said that South Korea's independent nuclear development is necessary.
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