64% of Citizens Support 'Independent Nuclear Development' to Respond to North Korea's Nuclear Threat

Asan Report Poll... 61% Support 'Deployment of US Tactical Nuclear Weapons' for North Korea Nuclear Response

A survey revealed that 64% of South Koreans support the claim that South Korea should independently develop nuclear weapons in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

James Kim, a senior researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and others published a report titled "Changing Perceptions of North Korea: Perceptions and Responses to the North Korean Nuclear Threat" on the 6th. According to the report, a public opinion survey conducted in November last year showed that 64.3% of respondents supported the claim of "independent nuclear development," while 33.3% opposed it.

In a separate question mentioning the "possibility of international sanctions" and asking for opinions again, 54.7% of respondents supported it, and 42.3% opposed it. Compared to the case where the possibility of sanctions was not mentioned, support decreased by about 10 percentage points, and opposition increased to a similar level, but still, more than half of the public supported independent nuclear development.

Regarding another nuclear armament option, the "deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons," 61.1% supported it, and 36.2% opposed it. By age group, support for "independent nuclear development" was highest among those aged 60 and over (80.3%), followed by those in their 50s (67.9%), while support for "tactical nuclear deployment" was highest among those aged 60 and over (79.7%), followed by those in their 20s (67.1%) and 30s (63.8%).

Additionally, a relatively high 58.7% supported the additional deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), while 38.3% opposed it.

The report analyzed, "The support rates for independent nuclear development and the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are within the margin of error, so there is no statistically significant difference," adding, "What is noteworthy is that when the possibility of sanctions against independent nuclear development was mentioned, the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons received higher support (than independent nuclear development)." It further interpreted, "This suggests that if South Korea faces the realistic constraint of international sanctions during the pursuit of nuclear armament, Koreans are more likely to prefer the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons."