Strategic Nuclear Arms

[Anchor Lead]

Those who wish to see U.S. strategic nuclear weapons redeployed on the Korean Peninsula point to the North Korean nuclear test as further support for their argument. While many still feel that the idea is premature, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is constantly changing.

[Pkg]

South Korea is a world-leading powerhouse in nuclear technology and currently possesses plutonium. Experts agree that it would be only a matter of time for South Korea to develop nuclear bombs if it decided to do so. However, experts also point out that the notion of South Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty to arm itself with its own nuclear arsenal is still unrealistic. A proposed alternative is to redeploy American strategic nuclear weapons, which had been withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in 1991. The reasoning is that the capability of U.S. Forces in Korea to strike back at the North Korean leadership with nuclear weapons, the so-called "balance of terror," is the only way to stop North Korea's nuclear attacks. Bombs and artillery dropped from fighter jets or bombers as well as short-range missile warheads are mentioned as options. The South Korean government is wary of fueling the controversy, but the issue of strategic nuclear redeployment came up at the recent ROK-US defense ministers' meeting. Opponents of the nuclear redeployment claim that it could give North Korea an excuse to further develop nuclear weapons, but others say that the situation has changed with North Korea crossing the threshold of nuclear capability.

[Soundbite] Prof. Nam Sung-wook(Korea Univ.) : "The U.S. may object, but since North Korea already has nuclear weapons ready to be deployed, it may not be easy for the U.S. to refuse South Korea's demand."

Meanwhile, South Korea brought up the issue of introducing nuclear-powered submarines to keep North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles in check, but as with the nuclear redeployment agenda, it hinges on U.S. approval.