{"id":2195910,"date":"2022-05-03T14:29:29","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T05:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2195910"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:26","slug":"its-time-for-south-korea-to-embrace-tactical-nuclear-weapons-to-defend-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/its-time-for-south-korea-to-embrace-tactical-nuclear-weapons-to-defend-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s time for South Korea to embrace tactical nuclear weapons to defend itself"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/span>successful launch<\/span><\/a> will \u201cdrastically improve the strike capability of the front units\u201d and that it will \u201cstrengthen the effectiveness of tactical operation and variability of fire missions for the DPRK.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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 the DPRK. This increases the chances of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation as well as by deliberate planning.<\/span><\/p>\n In light of the probability that North Korea will deploy tactical missiles with nuclear warheads, it must be assumed that all North Korean missile units are nuclear-capable. To respond to such a threat, the ROK-U.S. alliance needs to establish a system that can respond immediately to an attack; for this, the alliance will need a nuclear Pershing-type tactical missile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This will inevitably lead to a more dangerous peninsula in the short term, but this is the best way to push forward the prospect of serious arms reduction negotiations with North Korea. It is only when people stand at the precipice of total annihilation that people take seriously the situation in which they have put themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n