Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons



Analysis Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons Oh Se-hoon has outsized political influence that could shape ROK debate on nukes — and boost his presidential ambitions John LeeMarch 15, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Mayor Oh Se-hoon gives a speech about the need to produce student leaders, July 25, 2022 \| Image: Facebook Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon endorsed the idea that South Korea should acquire its own nuclear weapons to bolster defenses against North Korea this week, even at the risk of international repercussions. Oh’s comments in an interview with Reuters were not the first time he has argued for the ROK’s nuclear armament, but they were his most explicit to date and added fuel to the fire of a debate that President Yoon Suk-yeol began earlier this year. While it may seem odd that the leader of a municipal government is so vocal about nuclear arms, Oh is a likely candidate © 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 01Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance 02South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks 03South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 04Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 05Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 06Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 07North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 08South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus

Analysis

Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons

Oh Se-hoon has outsized political influence that could shape ROK debate on nukes — and boost his presidential ambitions

John LeeMarch 15, 2023

Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons

Mayor Oh Se-hoon gives a speech about the need to produce student leaders, July 25, 2022 | Image: Facebook

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon endorsed the idea that South Korea should acquire its own nuclear weapons to bolster defenses against North Korea this week, even at the risk of international repercussions.

Oh’s comments in an interview with Reuters were not the first time he has argued for the ROK’s nuclear armament, but they were his most explicit to date and added fuel to the fire of a debate that President Yoon Suk-yeol began earlier this year.

While it may seem odd that the leader of a municipal government is so vocal about nuclear arms, Oh is a likely candidate

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance
02South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks
03South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems
04Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma
05Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump
06Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls
07North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
08South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus

Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons

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John Lee