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| A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean soldiers firing artillery during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the revolutionary armed forces of the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK). in Pyongyang, North Korea, Feb. 8. EPA-Yonhap |
Discussions about South Korea developing its own nuclear capabilities may be warranted amid increasing nuclear threats from North Korea but the country is not at a point where it should actually consider such an option, a former U.S. National Security Council (NSC) official said Thursday.
Gary Samore, former NSC official on nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, also insisted the U.S. extended deterrence is credible enough that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the South or the United States would only be suicidal.
"We have to look for ways to strengthen the credibility of extended deterrence, but at the same time, we are not at the point where it makes sense to either return U.S. nuclear weapons to Korean soil where they were during the Cold War, or for South Korea itself to develop its own nuclear capabilities," Samore said at a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
The U.S. withdrew all its nuclear arsenal from South Korea in late 1991.
Some in South Korea have recently voiced a need to redeploy U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea or even for South Korea to consider developing its own nuclear capabilities amid an evolving North Korean nuclear threat that included an unprecedented 69 ballistic missile tests in 2022.
Samore, currently a professor of the practice of politics at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, argued the call for South Korea's nuclear armament may reflect concerns over the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence, as well as U.S. commitment to use all its military capabilities when necessary to defend South Korea.
"I think the Trump presidency really caused doubts in Seoul and in other U.S. allies about the long term reliability of U.S. security commitments," he said, noting that former President Donald Trump had openly opposed spending U.S. resources to help defend allies who could defend themselves.
"They don't know what the future of U.S. politics is, and who knows? President Trump could be reelected or someone like him in 2024 and they have to think about their options In the event that the U.S. security commitment is not as strong as it has been historically," added Samore.
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| Gary Samore, former NSC official on nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, is seen speaking during a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, Feb. 9. Yonhap |
The former NSC official said a new North Korean nuclear test, unless it is met with "strong U.N. reaction," may increase the sentiment in South Korea that the country should develop its own nuclear weapons.
The United Nations Security Council held 10 meetings last year specifically to discuss and prevent North Korea's missile provocations, but failed to produce any concerted efforts due opposition from China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the council and friendly neighbors of North Korea.
Samore stressed the need for the U.S. to continue developing its nuclear defense capabilities, but also build South Korea's confidence in U.S. extended deterrence.
"I think deterrence is still very strong because the U.S. and the ROK enjoy a overwhelming conventional military advantage over North Korea," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. "And of course, in terms of nuclear forces, the U.S. nuclear forces are far superior to North Korea's nuclear forces."
"I think we have to continue, with our allies, to take steps to enhance deterrence, enhance defense, and that includes missile defense and includes Kill-Chain and those kinds of options, and at the same time, keep the door open to diplomacy," he added. (Yonhap)
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