Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and esp Obama laid the groundwork for this sh*t sandwich...
Posted on 09/11/2016 8:05:12 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Calls growing in South Korea for nuclear armament
2016/09/11 15:27
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- A group of security and nuclear experts has recently launched a think tank to discuss ways to arm South Korea with nuclear weapons, while ruling party lawmakers on Sunday renewed calls for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here and eventually South Korea's independent nuclear weapons development in response to North Korea's repeated nuclear tests.
"The South Korean nuclear research group, composed of about 10 North Korea, security and nuclear specialists, was launched in early September," Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea researcher at the Sejong Institute who represents the think tank, told Yonhap News Agency. "The members plan to have in-depth discussions on how South Korea could develop its own nuclear weapons and find common ground and share their knowledge on the issue."
The group is the first known South Korean think tank on the nuclear armament issue whose launch comes amid North Korea's accelerating nuclear and missile threats.
On Friday, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, only eight months after its fourth nuclear test in January.
The think tank's launch coincided with growing calls for South Korea's own nuclear weapons program in the face of growing nuclear threats from the North.
Won Yoo-chul, a representative at the ruling Saenuri Party, argued in a statement issued after the test that "Only nuclear weapons could be an effective deterrence against nuclear weapons," urging the government to push for nuclear armament.
Won's position has been supported by former Saenuri Chairman Kim Moo-sung and former Saenuri chief policymaker Kim Jung-hoon, among others.
But a South Korean government official denied any move for nuclear armament, reconfirming its stance of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea's nuclear armament constitutes a direct violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, which could lead to international sanctions and jeopardize the South Korea-U.S. Defense Treaty, government officials said.
It would also weaken the grounds for South Korea's calls to denuclearize North Korea, they said.
As a middle ground, redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea could be one option, experts claimed.
All U.S. tactical nuclear weapons were removed from South Korea in a joint Seoul-Pyongyang declaration in 1992, which was signed to make the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.
"Deploying tactical nuclear weapons again in South Korea could have the effect of shortening the response time (after being attacked), as well as the symbolic meaning that any nuclear attack will be retaliated with a nuclear weapon," one military official said.
North Korea's nuclear capacities have raised calls among some South Korean conservatives for Seoul's own nuclear weapons development to deal with North Korea's nuclear programs.
"We plan to steadily increase our membership to about 20 people," Cheong of the Sejong Institute said, adding, "We are also considering publishing a book that outlines various opinions on the nuclear armament issue."
North Korea's fifth nuclear test has proved the clear limits of the international community's sanctions on North Korea in denuclearizing the country, he said.
"South Korea should not stick to the sanctions approach whose effect is very limited. Instead, the country should show off to North Korea that Seoul, the world's sixth largest nuclear energy power, can outpace Pyongyang in the nuclear weapons front," according to the expert.
Kim Tae-woo, a former head of the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification and a member of the new think tank, said the research group plans to provide the result of their discussion to the government.
P!
UTTERLY UNSURPRISED.
Crushing forces being brought to bear:
Would we expect OURSELVES to remain unprotected..?
They will.
And Japan will.
One response to NK has been discussions of introducing THAAD ABMs into SK. China complained about this, because the THAAD missiles could be aimed at Chinese missiles.
I have to ask myself, why would Chinese missiles be flying around the area in the first place, if not to attack SK?
Just sell them ours.
When public support is high enough, the military will say “OK!”, just wait a few minutes while we put a few together.
Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and esp Obama laid the groundwork for this sh*t sandwich...
I guess the only way to test the device would be to wait for shortly after a huge earthquake and then hope the seismic signature of the device is lost amongst the swarms of aftershocks.
Good job, Obummer. Nukes have gone from strategic to tactical weapons. Thanks a lot.
The US has had nukes in S.Korea since at least 1969. I know, I used to guard them. So for defense of the country the ROK is better off letting us provide a nuclear umbrella. Our nuclear superiority is more than they could ever acquire on their own. China needs to restrain their client state but I fear that the cost of doing so would be for us to cede control of the South China Sea to them to maintain the balance of power on the peninsula. Selling some of our nukes would checkmate the Chinese but would be a pretty gutsy ploy. Not something a Democratic administration would do.
Agreed. South Korea will need to arm to balance the North. Japan will have to with both Koreas and China in the mix. I’m somewhat surprised Japan hasn’t already. Though I think they are very close, having worked out most of the design and engineering already.
Okay, are you two going to let the rest understand this “inside baseball” stuff you’re discussing?
What group?
You are right. Not going to happen under Dem's watch. If Trump takes power, this possibility is at play.
As you have noted, China is facing at least two main issues simultaneously. One is the problem in Korean Peninsula, and the other is S. China Sea. China tries to maintain their hold on the Peninsula while expanding their control of S. China Sea.
If a serious conflict breaks out, China will have to make a choice. They cannot deal with both, even with their improved military power. They have few friends in S. East Asia. Without any ally in the region, it is pretty difficult to cope with any military situation if things go hot in Koreas. They faced the same predicament back in 1950. Chinese communists were eager to take Taiwan, but Korean War broke out. Eventually they abandoned their goal of taking Tawain, and had to concentrate on Korean Peninsula.
Instead of us pulling back from S. China Sea, we have to force China to make a choice, and have them make concessions on Korean Peninsula.
Give it to them and let them fight it out. No dog in that fight.
81150 ?
6170th CSG, Suwon AB (with 15 day TDY to Kunson AB) , 3/69 -3/70. You too?
46490 EOD, Retired ...... Respects !
Naturally, their goal includes scrapping Peace Constitution and rearming Japan. Past Japanese politician after the war never gave up on the eventual pursuit of nuclear weapon's program. They quietly laid out all infrastructure to produce nuclear weapon in massive quantities when the time comes. Unfortunately, they tend to be closet symapthizers of past military regime, too. In my opinion, they had the chance to break this connection to the past in 1990's but did not materialize.
This group used to have little public support and was regarded as nuisance lunatic fringe, driving around in their loud-speaker trucks blaring out their speeches and military music.
Now the political climate has changed and public is more receptive to their view. Abe took power and set out to scrap Peace Constitution. After decades of irrelevance, they are coming alive again.
Agreed. A friend drew a low number in the draft, and had no desire to go to Vietnam. He was a very intelligent fellow, so he enlisted in the Army for nuclear weapons handling.
He spent a year in South Korea.
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