SOUTH KOREA DEBATES WHETHER TO JOIN THE NUCLEAR ARMAMENT CLUB AS THE N KOREA THREATS AND JAPAN POTENTIAL TO ALSO BECOME NUCLEAR AND THE FINAL STRAW IF AND WHEN THE US LEAVES THE KOREAN PENINSULA AND A DECISION THAT THE US WILL NO LONGER OFFER THE NUCLEAR UMBRILLA OF ITS ASIAN ALLY CAN ONLY FORCE S KOREA FOR THE PROTECTION OF ITS CULTURE AND PEOLES TO HAVE ITS OWN NUCLEAR DETERENT CAPABILITY

Debate has resurfaced over the possibility of South Korea’s nuclear armament as North Korea’s nuclear threat remains unabated with growing security rivalry in the region most recently stoked by Japan’s push for heavier armament.
Lingering doubts over the reliability of the U.S.’ nuclear umbrella has also added to the possibility that Seoul could seek a more viable way to bolster its self-defense capabilities to fend off Pyongyang’s security challenges, analysts said.
Charles Ferguson, head of the Federation of American Scientists, said in a recent report that the South could opt for nuclear armament should Japan acquire nuclear arms and should the North’s nuclear threats not be countered by the U.S.
“If the United States were perceived to not be able to reliably and credibly counter the threats posed by China and North Korea, prudent military planners in Japan and South Korea would want to take steps to have their own nuclear capabilities,” Ferguson said in the report.
“Finally, if Japan crosses the threshold to nuclear weapon acquisition, South Korea would feel compelled to follow suit. South Korean leaders would then not want to be vulnerable to both nuclear-armed North Korea and Japan.”
In the report, Ferguson also noted that Seoul could secure potential capabilities to produce dozens of nuclear warheads within five years, with “near-weapons-grade plutonium” from four pressurized heavy water reactors at its Wolseong power plant in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province.

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