{"id":2199213,"date":"2022-10-20T08:09:59","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T08:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199213"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:07","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:07","slug":"redeploying-us-tactical-nukes-may-not-go-far-enough-for-south-koreans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/10\/redeploying-us-tactical-nukes-may-not-go-far-enough-for-south-koreans\/","title":{"rendered":"Redeploying US tactical nukes may not go far enough for South Koreans"},"content":{"rendered":"
The ongoing spate of North Korean missile tests, artillery fire and warplane drills \u2014 not to mention a looming nuclear test \u2014 has South Korea on edge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the most recent National Barometer Survey (NBS) polling conducted from Oct. 17-19, seven in ten (71%) South Koreans said they <\/span>are uneasy about<\/span><\/a> the ongoing missile tests. Those results were largely consistent across age groups, regions and political affiliation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Yoon administration has responded to some of the DPRK\u2019s launches with <\/span>missile tests of its own<\/span><\/a>, while also arranging large-scale <\/span>air exercises<\/span><\/a> involving hundreds of U.S. and ROK aircraft. There has also been discussion about how to strengthen the US nuclear umbrella, including the <\/span>potential redeployment<\/span><\/a> of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That is not an idea that the South Korean public loves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The recent NBS polling finds that a plurality (49%) supports the potential deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons while 39% oppose. Polling by the Chicago Council in South Korea in Dec. 2021 <\/span>found similar numbers<\/span><\/a>, with 56% in support of the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But this lukewarm support is not due to an aversion to nuclear weapons. Rather, the available data suggest that the redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons may not go far enough for many South Koreans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Widespread support for a domestic nuclear weapons program in South Korea is well-known, and support for a program has <\/span>hovered around<\/span><\/a> 65% or higher for a decade. The Chicago Council poll found support for a domestic program at 71%. Polling done by the Asan Institute in March 2022 found <\/span>virtually identical support<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the Chicago Council polling, respondents were also asked to choose between the return of U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea or an indigenous nuclear weapons program. The results were overwhelming: two-thirds (67%) preferred a domestic weapons program while just 9% wanted a return of U.S. weapons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Importantly, the potential consequences of going nuclear did not seem to act as a strong deterrent for those that favored a domestic program. Just one in ten (11%) changed their opinion when asked to consider the effects on the alliance with the U.S., potential retaliation from China, and international economic sanctions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For now, discussion in South Korea of an indigenous weapons program is limited. While there are sporadic calls for South Korea to acquire its own nuclear deterrent, it has not risen to the level of official policy discussions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But Russia\u2019s use of <\/span>nuclear blackmail<\/span><\/a> to <\/span>deter<\/span><\/a> direct U.S. and NATO intervention against its invasion of Ukraine has reverberated in Seoul and may change the calculus in the medium to long term.<\/span><\/p>\n Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n