Presidential Office: "South Korea Will Neither Produce, Import, nor Possess Nuclear Weapons"

Kim Namjun, spokesperson, is giving a briefing related to the Cabinet meeting held on the 2nd at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On December 2, the Presidential Office emphasized that "the government of the Republic of Korea will neither produce, import, nor possess nuclear weapons" in response to the recent domestic debate over South Korea's independent nuclear armament.

Kim Namjun, spokesperson, stated this during an afternoon briefing at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, when asked whether the U.S. government had expressed concerns about South Korea's nuclear armament theory. He clarified, "This is a clear government policy, unrelated to such concerns."

On the same day, President Lee Jaemyung, while presiding over the Cabinet meeting, remarked, "There are aspects in which uranium enrichment and (spent) nuclear (fuel) reprocessing issues are not proceeding smoothly or swiftly. The reason is due to concerns over nuclear armament."

During the meeting, President Lee asked, "If we arm ourselves with nuclear weapons, economic and international sanctions will immediately follow. Can we withstand them?" Minister Cho Hyun replied, "It is impossible. We would have to withdraw from the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), which would make us a second North Korea."

President Lee also urged, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should ensure that such irresponsible remarks do not emerge in the political sphere. The reality must be explained clearly."

Additionally, according to spokesperson Kim, during a closed-door review meeting, President Lee checked the progress of instructions given to each ministry. Kim explained, "More than 400 directives have been issued to the ministries."

Kim further conveyed that President Lee encouraged the ministries by saying, "Did I really give so many instructions? The ministries are working hard."