The floor leader of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party called Monday for the country's own nuclear armament or the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to better cope with threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
Won Yoo-cheol said South Korea should consider realistic and practical measures for self-defense to deter North Korea's possible provocations.
"We cannot borrow an umbrella from a neighbor every time it rains. We need to have a raincoat and wear it ourselves," Won said during a speech at the National Assembly.
He was referring to the nuclear umbrella that the U.S. provides to South Korea after pulling its tactical nuclear weapons out of South Korea in 1991.
In 1991, the two Koreas agreed to keep the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free in a landmark deal, though North Korea has violated it by pursuing nuclear weapons programs.
Won said North Korea's four nuclear tests, including the one last month, have rendered the denuclearization principle "meaningless."
Won's comments underscored growing calls among some conservative South Koreans to develop the country's own nuclear armaments amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
(Yonhap)