How was South Korea able to pursue its nuclear weapons program in the 1970s? Was U.S. coercive diplomacy the primary driver leading to South Korea's decision to abandon the weapons program? This seminar examines South Korea's nuclear weapons program and U.S. non-proliferation efforts from the Nixon to the Carter Administrations in the broader context of international nuclear history.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

South Korea attempted to acquire nuclear reprocessing facilities from France in the mid-1970s. U.S. and Canadian pressure led South Korea and France to abandon the negotiations. In this Project on Managing the Atom Seminar, ISP/MTA Research Fellow SeYoung Jang will discuss how the failure to acquire reprocessing technology was later a significant element in South Korea’s decision to suspend its nuclear weapons program in 1976.