It’s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself



Analysis It’s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself North Korea’s recent weapons tests dramatically tip the scale in its favor. Seoul cannot be caught flat-footed. Chun In-bumMay 3, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korean missiles on display at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul, June 2012 \| Image: Daniel Fostervia Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently led the apparent launch of two short-range ballistic missiles matching the profile of either the KN-23 and KN-24 series from a mobile launcher. Pyongyang claimed the successful launch will “drastically improve the strike capability of the front units” and that it will “strengthen the effectiveness of tactical operation and variability of fire missions for the DPRK.” The description of the test implies the employment of a nuclear warhead in this system. If such a system is operational, it will mean a mobile nuclear missile launch capability will be delegated to tactical units inside © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Samsung, SK Hynix rejection exposes South Korea’s chip-grid financing problem 02Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine 03Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 04South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 05Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 06Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 07South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower 08Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading

Analysis

It’s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself

North Korea’s recent weapons tests dramatically tip the scale in its favor. Seoul cannot be caught flat-footed.

Chun In-bumMay 3, 2022

It’s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself

South Korean missiles on display at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul, June 2012 | Image: Daniel Fostervia Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently led the apparent launch of two short-range ballistic missiles matching the profile of either the KN-23 and KN-24 series from a mobile launcher. Pyongyang claimed the successful launch will “drastically improve the strike capability of the front units” and that it will “strengthen the effectiveness of tactical operation and variability of fire missions for the DPRK.”

The description of the test implies the employment of a nuclear warhead in this system. If such a system is operational, it will mean a mobile nuclear missile launch capability will be delegated to tactical units inside

It’s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself

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Chun In-bum