S Korean plans for nuclear deterrent

[StringJunky]

Quote

Hidden away in the private room of an underground restaurant in Seoul, a disparate group of South Koreans have gathered for a clandestine lunch. Among the mix are politicians, scientists, and military people, some of whose identities are too sensitive to reveal. This is the inaugural meeting of the Nuclear Policy Forum, and their lunchtime agenda is ambitious - to plot out how South Korea can develop nuclear weapons.

This once-fringe idea has exploded into the mainstream over the past months. Even South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol raised the possibility during a defence meeting, making him the only president to have put this option on the table in recent times. Now newspaper columns trumpet the idea daily, while a staggering three-quarters of the public support it. South Koreans have grown anxious about their nuclear-armed neighbour to the north, and on Wednesday Mr Yoon is heading to the White House, seeking President Joe Biden's help.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65333139

Further into the article there seems to be two options: Build their own or have US ones stationed there. I'd go with the latter - if it had to happen - because they don't need the learning curve of building them, which would embed a nuclear infrastructure into the country. That would be another autonomous nuclear power, which just complicates future global disarmament even more.

Edited April 22, 2023 by StringJunky