The recent North Korean nuclear test got a lot of international press coverage. Regardless of whether or not it was actually a successful test of a hydrogen bomb, it aggravated concerns among the neighbors of N.K. over nuclear weapons in and around the Korean Peninsula. There are calls South Korea to start producing nuclear warheads to deter N.K. aggression.
S.K. has had nuclear scientists and engineers experimenting with nuclear warhead technology since 1970. In 1975, the United States pressured S.K. to sign the international Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Since then the U.S. has pressured S.K. to abide by the terms of the treaty. However, a deal was reached by the U.S. and S.K. in 2015 to allow S.K. to enrich uranium to twenty percent which is far above the four percent enrichment needed for nuclear power which provides about twenty two percent of S.K.’s electricity. Twenty percent is still far below the ninety percent that is required for weapons grade uranium.
Following the January 6th nuclear test in N.K., powerful figures in S.K.’s ruling political party demanded that S.K. embark on its own program to develop nuclear warheads. Chung Mong-joon owns controlling shares of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the biggest ship building company in the world. He has been deeply involved in S.K. politics of many years. He said that “talks to get rid of nukes are possible only when there is a strong means corresponding to nukes.” He recently called for S.K. to withdraw from the NPT, adding that it is allowed for a signatory to withdraw from the NPT if “extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country.” Another politician, Won Yoo-chel, said to the National Assembly that it was time “to peacefully arm ourselves with nukes from the perspective of self-defense to fight against North Korea’s terror and destruction.”
There are reports from S.K. that there is an emerging consensus among S.K. military and intelligence officials that S.K. must acquire nuclear weapons in order to establish a nuclear standoff with N.K. They believe that this will guarantee an balance of power and stability on the Korean Peninsula. On the other hand, U.S. military and intelligence sources fear that if S.K. does develop nuclear weapons, it would only increase the tensions on the Peninsula and possibly lead to nuclear war between S.K. and N.K.
The necessity for S.K. to have nuclear weapons is being discussed in public, at political events and in the national media. Chosun Ilbo is a widely read S.K. conservative newspaper. In a recent editorial, the paper claimed that China will not interfere with N.K. nuclear tests and missile launches. The editorial said that sanctions will not be effective in dampening N.K.’s nuclear ambitions. Opposition to nuclear weapons also has strong support in S.K. and the critics say that adding S.K. nuclear weapons to the situation will not lead to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula is like two enemies standing five feet apart. One of them has a hand grenade and is threatening to throw it at the other one. Friend of the other one are urging him to get a hand grenade too to counter the threat of the first man. The big problem is that if either or both of them throw a hand grenade five feet to destroy an enemy, they will also be destroyed. The use of nuclear weapons by anyone on the Korean Peninsula will heavily impact everyone on the Korean Peninsula. Apart from the immediate destruct of cities and the death of millions resulting for nuclear detonations, the fallout will poison the land and water all over the Peninsula. A Korean nuclear war would result in a horrendous humanitarian crisis that would strain the resources of the entire world to deal with. Basically, the use of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula would be suicidal. It would be best for S.K. and the whole world for S.K. to abide by the NPT and not develop and deploy their own nuclear weapons.
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