According to a poll released in February, 71% of South Koreans are in favor of developing their own nuclear weapons.
South Korea does not need nuclear weapons to contain the threat posed by North Korea. South Korean Prime Minister Han Dak-soo said this in an interview with CNN.
According to Khan, South Korea has a sufficiently high military potential to prevent the implementation of the “ridiculous ambitions” of the DPRK. He noted that he considers the acquisition of nuclear status “the wrong way.”
“We must work together with the international community … to constantly put strong pressure on North Korea to denuclearize. We would like North Korea to know that the development and promotion of nuclear capabilities does not guarantee peace and prosperity in their country,” the South Korean premier said. .
At the same time, Han Dak-soo pointed out that recent public questions showed that the citizens of South Korea want the country to “go further” in matters of the nuclear industry. According to one such study published in February 2023, 71% of South Koreans surveyed are in favor of developing their own nuclear weapons.
The authors of the publication suggest that such a public position may be associated with the deterioration of relations between North and South Korea in recent years.
There are growing concerns in Japan and South Korea over the so-called US nuclear umbrella, according to the Diplomat on January 7th. Looking at the events in Ukraine, the countries of East Asia began to doubt that the Americans would resort to the use of nuclear weapons against nuclear states.
Seoul-based human rights activists are also concerned that tens of thousands of citizens of South Korea, North Korea, Japan and China could be exposed to radiation from groundwater flowing under North Korea’s nuclear test site.
An Associated Press report on February 17 said North Korea was threatening to take “unprecedented” decisive action against South Korea and the United States over their announcement of joint military exercises.
