Analysis & Opinions - The Diplomat

Would South Korea Really Go Nuclear?

| December 30, 2016

Since Donald Trump won the presidential election last month, concerns over a nuclear South Korea have intensified. Although President-elect Trump reassured President Park Geun-hye of the U.S. security commitment to South Korea, a strong fear of abandonment has arisen in South Korea in light of Trump's campaign statements. When South Korea feared U.S. disengagement from Asia in the early 1970s, it responded by attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Today, the prospect of a nuclear South Korea, unthinkable since the 1970s, is more real than ever. The recent impeachment of Park by the National Assembly earlier this month adds to uncertainty for South Korea's security policies. Could the next administration pursue nuclear weapons as a result of these fears?...

Continue reading: http://thediplomat.com/2016/12/would-south-korea-really-go-nuclear/

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Kim, Lami.“Would South Korea Really Go Nuclear?.” The Diplomat, December 30, 2016.

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