The leader of South Korea’s ruling party has warned that the country may have to “seriously consider” developing its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent to its northern neighbour in the wake of Pyongyang’s latest barrage of missile tests.
Chung Jin Suk, a lawmaker and head of the conservative People Power party, told a party meeting on Monday that South Korea needed to reinforce its ability to deter hostilities from Pyongyang, including by strengthening its “kill chain” pre-emptive strike strategy.
“We need to seriously consider developing our own nuclear capabilities if such a response is insufficient,” Chung said, according to South Korean state news agency Yonhap.
South Korea has grown increasingly anxious about the unrelenting progress of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
North Korea on Monday fired two short-range ballistic missiles, following the launch on Saturday of what Pyongyang claimed was a Hwasong 15 intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts believe is capable of striking the mainland US.
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared he would “exponentially increase” nuclear weapons production in 2023 and stressed his willingness to use his nuclear arsenal for offensive purposes, as well as defensive ones.
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has also raised the prospect of Seoul pursuing an independent nuclear deterrent in response to escalating provocations from its northern adversary.
“If problems become more serious, [South Korea] could deploy [US] tactical nuclear weapons here, or we could acquire our own nuke as well,” Yoon told defence officials and experts last month. “If that happens, it would not take long to [develop] one for ourselves in a short period of time.”
Yoon’s comments marked the first time in the post-cold war era that a South Korean president has publicly acknowledged that Seoul could acquire its own nuclear weapons, although he has since clarified that it was not an active policy.
“The fact is that going nuclear is not a realistic option for South Korea, something that President Yoon has himself acknowledged,” said Yang Uk, a defence expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
Chung on Monday also reportedly cited former French leader Charles de Gaulle, who in the 1960s expressed scepticism that the US would risk New York to defend Paris in a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union.
The US is strongly opposed to South Korea acquiring an independent nuclear deterrent, which it fears could spark a regional arms race that would irreparably harm global non-proliferation efforts.
Instead, Washington is seeking to reassure Seoul of its commitment to South Korea’s defence. In recent months, the US has deployed fighter jets and bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula.
“When South Korean politicians hint at the possibility of getting nuclear weapons, their remarks are intended primarily to reassure their conservative base that they are committed to the country’s defence,” said Yang.
“But they can also serve as useful leverage when negotiating for greater reassurances from the US.”
Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, warned on Monday that North Korea would respond to US nuclear-capable assets on the Korean peninsula by turning the Pacific into a “firing range”.
“We affirm once again that there is no change in our will to make the worst maniacs escalating the tensions pay the price for their action,” she said.
