Some 17 “military elders,” including the very-busy 14 former defense ministers, issued a statement yesterday calling on the government to strongly request that the United States redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea.
Between 1958 and 1991, the United States kept some 1,720 tactical nukes in South Korea in order to keep the North Koreans (and Chinese and Soviets) honest. These weapons were withdrawn, however, after the intra-Korean denuclearization deal of 1991.
The government, meanwhile, is going to press Washington to “make more concrete,” so to speak, the U.S. nuclear umbrella for South Korea during bilateral military talks in Washington next week.
This despite the ruling Uri Party blaming the United States for North Korea’s nuclear test.
Anyway, the United States has affirmed Korea’s position under the United States nuclear umbrella every year since 1978, but this has widely been seen as symbolic. What Seoul now wants, however, is for the United States to spell out exactly what nuclear goodies U.S. forces will be packing if the balloon ever went up. The United States has been reluctant to do this out of concern that it might piss off neighboring states.
The JoongAng Ilbo reports that some experts are suggesting another solution. Rather than ask the United States to provide for your nuclear defense, why not build some nukes yourself? “An eye for an eye, a nuke for a nuke,” they say.
The concern is that with the North Koreans presumed to be able to build 10kt nukes for their missile forces and under-1kt nukes for their artillery forces, the military balance on the peninsula is all screwed up.
Most experts believe the answer is to rely on American nuclear forces to balance things out. Not all agree, however. The Monterey Institute’s Shin Seong-taek said Korea must develop the potential capacity—currently enjoyed by Japan—to quickly build nuclear weapons in an emergency. Shin said that given Korea’s current level of technology, it could—if only the will were there—maintain such a capacity while still remaining true to NPT regulations. Korea has the plans for nuclear devices, he said, but it lacks the uranium enrichment and reprocessing facilities needed to acquire the necessary nuclear materials.
Experts believe Japan, a “model student” of the NPT, could manufacture nuclear weapons within three months.
Korea is also looking to acquire precision weapons capable of taking out North Korean WMD facilities once the defense budget is passed. This would boost Korea’s ability to take a more “active” defense against the North Korean WMD threat. Seoul currently relies on PAC-3 missiles to defend against North Korean missiles once they’ve been launched.
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8 Comments
How many nuclear weapons should Uncle Sam commit to the defense of South Korea? How about, “None”? You paid for the construction of the North Korean bomb, and thwarted all efforts to stop its development, so it’s your problem, Chulsoo.
It’s safe to presume that policy makers in Seoul and Washington are keeping all options open while waiting to see how the events unfold.
Missile defense, baby. Now we’re talking.
Are the same people that want America to transfer nukes to the south the defend it the same ones that refuse to pay any more of the defense fees? Do they want more for less, or are these two different groups with two different views?
Those communists in the Uri party are going to get what they deserve very soon, when South Korea erupts in to a revolt. Poor Mr. Roh, maybe he can share the same cell with Kim Il-Jung.
–Remort
I have just been witness to what I think was a veterans’ demonstration (some in military greens) marching through Seoul city centre shouting “death to Kim Dae-jung” and “Noh Muhyeon resign” because of their “responsibility for nuclear arms development in North Korea”.
I am not sure if this was a legal demonstration but police were lining the streets diverting cars. Times sure have changed. These gentlemen were enjoying their freedom to publicly call for the death of a Nobel Peace Prize holder (?!!) and decided to beat the crap out of a man who was expressing a different view through a megaphone.
The police in uniform was slow to protect this man (and his rights). Some other bystanders protected him from the raging Granddad’s. The police let the ambulance accompanying the demonstrators pass by. SO not even medical help for the poor solitary anti-protestor. I’m sure you will see the pictures on TV- the camera crews and journalists (scum that they were this time, too) filmed it all without interfering.
I heard these guys from my office building, seems we get two or more of these every week (recently it was all anti-FTA). And I did notice a couple co-workers cracking up over the chant, but it was too muffled for me to make out.
About the lynching, well, how many times has this happened? Protests often seem to get out of control, and atrocious things have happened. A fellow student of mine from Yonsei(language school) was beat down in Sinchon by an angry mod while he was buying a sandwich and when the police officer came tried to arrest him, then there was the abduction of military soldiers and the forced confession, then there was the time the protesters(union workers) beat up the mothers(!!!) of the police conscripts… list goes on. However, I will say this would be the first time I heard of the conservatives getting out of line and making good on their threats to beat people up, though I am sure someone might know some cases.
” How about, “None”? ”
Correct, it should be none. With the US shield being withdrawn due to Anti-americanism in Korea, it will be up to the conservatives who will be in power by next year to put back the security - and that should include blue prints for a nuclear defense of South Korea. The calls are getting louder.