Gabriela Bernal

Opinion | Why South Korea should not go down the nuclear weapons route

The South Korean president has raised the possibility of the country acquiring nuclear weapons if the security situation on the peninsula continues to deteriorate

However, this would lose Seoul the moral high ground, leaving only military options on the table, and rapidly change the regional security dynamic

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A South Korean soldier uses an anti-drone gun (left) during an anti-terror drill on the sidelines of the joint South Korea-US Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, at the Seoul Metro headquarters on August 24, 2022. Photo: AFP

Gabriela Bernal

Published: 3:30am, 18 Jan 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol last week publicly floated the possibility of the country acquiring nuclear weapons if the security situation on the Korean peninsula continues to worsen. “If the problem becomes more serious, South Korea could have tactical nuclear weapons deployed or secure its own nuclear weapons,” he said, adding that “if things turn out this way, we will be able to acquire [nuclear weapons] quickly thanks to our science and technological capabilities”.

He also ordered the Defence Ministry to significantly enhance its retaliatory strike capabilities so that Seoul could launch counter-attacks against North Korea that are 100 times more destructive than an incoming threat or 1,000 times more powerful in the case of an invasion.

This strategy is, however, questionable at best and outright dangerous at worst. With tensions on the Korean peninsula having escalated to new highs in the past six months, such statements risk worsening an already volatile situation.

The two Koreas have been engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation of military tensions since last September. This month, a North Korean drone infiltrated the airspace of the capital, Seoul. Worse, the South Korean military failed to bring it down and the drone even entered a no-fly zone surrounding the presidential office.

Yoon’s recent comments were made against the backdrop of this major escalation. Although condemnation of North Korea’s actions is warranted, South Korea should refrain from going down a dangerous path of possibly no return.

While the previous administration, under president Moon Jae-in, adopted a strategy focused on diplomacy rather than hardline military responses, Yoon’s government seems to be going in a different direction; in recent months, it has retaliated militarily to North Korean provocations.