Yoon Sang-hyun "Nuclear Armament Will Only Invite International Isolation"... Nuclear Armament Debate Heating Up at the Ruling Party Convention

Na Kyung-won Fuels Nuclear Armament Debate Day After Day
Han Dong-hoon: "Limits... Need to Adjust Speed"
Won Hee-ryong: "Cautious... Strengthen North Korea Nuclear Deterrence"

The issue of 'nuclear armament' is becoming a hot topic in the People Power Party leadership race. Among the four candidates, Representative Na Kyung-won first raised the nuclear armament theory on the 25th, the 74th anniversary of the Korean War, and the other candidates (Representative Yoon Sang-hyun, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, and former Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon) have all expressed opposing views, leading to a heated debate.

From the left, Han Dong-hoon, former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, Won Hee-ryong, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yoon Sang-hyun, member of the People Power Party, and Na Kyung-won [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 26th, Representative Yoon Sang-hyun stated in an interview with SBS Radio’s ‘Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show’ that "nuclear armament is currently impossible because the United States opposes it," and argued that "(if nuclear armament occurs) we would inevitably face economic, diplomatic, and international isolation."

Yoon explained, "Since the Park Geun-hye administration, I have consistently advocated for the permanent deployment of U.S. submarines equipped with nuclear missiles outside the territorial waters of the Korean Peninsula, and for the presidents of South Korea and the U.S. to establish a nuclear sharing agreement," adding, "This way, we can develop nuclear deterrence without breaking the declaration of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

He continued, "The limited meaning of nuclear armament is that if Trump is re-elected in the U.S. presidential election on November 5, Trump and North Korea will hold talks and will definitely freeze North Korea’s nuclear weapons," and argued, "Rather than denuclearization, the U.S. policy will shift to managing North Korea’s nuclear weapons by freezing them, effectively stopping further development."

He added, "In such a case, North Korea will effectively become a nuclear-armed state. If provocations occur in places like Yeonpyeong Island, we will not be able to respond properly, so we will have no choice but to pursue nuclear armament ourselves," explaining, "This is what I call limited nuclear armament."

The nuclear armament debate was sparked by Representative Na’s brief Facebook post the previous day. On the morning of that day, Na posted a two-line message on Facebook saying, "It is June 25. Now we must also pursue nuclear armament." This move is interpreted as an attempt to seize the main issue to maintain leadership while targeting the votes of conservative supporters sensitive to security issues.

In response to Na’s claim, former Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon countered on his Facebook, saying, "International affairs are unpredictable, so there are limits to relying solely on alliances," and argued, "Now, like Japan, we need to develop latent capabilities to arm nuclear weapons whenever we decide to." Former Minister Won Hee-ryong raised a cautious view, stating, "Now is the time to strengthen nuclear deterrence against North Korea by securing the effectiveness of the Washington Declaration before considering nuclear armament."

Meanwhile, Na, who ignited the nuclear armament debate the previous day, once again posted on her Facebook on the same day with a post titled ‘Na Kyung-won’s Three Principles of Nuclear Armament,’ stating, "If I become the leader of the People Power Party, I will establish (nuclear armament principles) as party policy and carry out more detailed policy preparations at the party level and close cooperation with the government," and added, "We must keep all possibilities open and consider nuclear armament."

Na emphasized, "North Korea’s nuclear weapons are becoming more advanced, and international affairs such as North Korea-Russia cooperation are increasing uncertainties for South Korea’s security. Although deterrence is working through a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance, it cannot guarantee future changes in the security environment," and stressed, "The history of the international community shows that only ‘countries with power’ to deter external threats have survived."