Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Peace vs. strength: Rival presidential hopefuls offer contrasting approaches to NK policy
Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a campaign rally in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
By Lee Hyo-jin
Kim Moon-soo calls for tactical nukes; Lee Jae-myung vows to restore inter-Korean military agreement
South Korea's two leading presidential candidates are presenting sharply contrasting approaches to North Korea — one emphasizes diplomacy and dialogue, while the other advocates for a more robust deterrence strategy, including the possible redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea. These weapons were withdrawn in late 1991 under U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s nuclear reduction initiatives.
While North Korea policy has not traditionally played a decisive role in presidential elections, lingering uncertainty over how U.S. President Donald Trump might engage with Pyongyang has raised the stakes for the next South Korean government's security strategy.
According to his campaign pledge booklet, Tuesday, Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), vowed to pursue dialogue with North Korea aimed at achieving denuclearization — following the liberal bloc's traditional playbook of easing military tensions and fostering peace.
Lee has laid out an amicable approach to Pyongyang, pledging to "pursue and promote inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation and exchanges," including reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
His platform also includes restoring the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, also known as the Sept. 19 Agreement, which was scrapped by the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration last year in response to North Korea’s trash balloon provocations.
The agreement, signed under former liberal President Moon Jae-in, called for halting hostile military activities in designated border areas to reduce the risk of accidental conflicts.
However, Lee's ambition for renewing talks with Pyongyang is expected to face major obstacles amid deadlocked inter-Korean relations.
Since early 2024, the North has announced a so-called "two-state" doctrine, identifying South Korea as a separate and hostile nation. The reclusive regime has since severed roads and railways linked to South Korea.
On the broader security front, Lee advocated for strengthening the South Korea-U.S. military alliance, as the liberal politician positions himself as pursuing pragmatic diplomacy in response to criticism from opponents over his perceived anti-U.S. stance.
Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the People Power Party, speaks during a campaign rally in Ulsan, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
In stark contrast to Lee, Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), has adopted a hawkish stance toward North Korea.
Kim's campaign pledge in the security realm made no mention of dialogue or negotiations with Pyongyang. Notably, his policy platform does not include the phrase "denuclearization," a long-standing cornerstone of South Korea's policy regarding North Korea.
Instead, the conservative candidate seeks to boost South Korea's military capabilities against North Korean nuclear threats.
He proposed securing Seoul's capability for potential nuclear weapons development by amending the South Korea-U.S. nuclear energy agreement. Signed in 1974, the agreement outlines the terms for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the two countries. Last revised in 2015, the pact still prohibits Seoul from reprocessing plutonium and enriching uranium.
Kim said allowing Seoul to reprocess nuclear fuel would shorten the time needed to develop nuclear weapons. He noted that these steps would fall within the bounds of peaceful nuclear energy use.
The PPP candidate also called for discussions with Washington on the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, or adopting a NATO-style nuclear-sharing arrangement. The U.S. withdrew all tactical nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula in 1991.
Kim's proposals reflect growing support among conservative politicians for Seoul to consider obtaining its own nuclear weapons amid mounting skepticism over the reliability of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
His stance on nuclear weapons goes beyond that of the Yoon administration, which focused on strengthening the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence through the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group, without officially advocating for South Korea’s own nuclear arsenal.
Additionally, if Kim wins, the prospects for inter-Korean dialogue would likely diminish, as the PPP candidate is expected to adopt a hardline stance on North Korea’s human rights abuses — a position that has consistently provoked anger from the Kim Jong-un regime.
During the party's campaign committee meeting, Monday, Kim condemned the North Korean regime for its human rights abuses and pledged to pursue "unification based on freedom" to "liberate the North Korean people from authoritarian rule."