If South Korea Goes Nuclear, So Will the World

Nuclear nonproliferation is one of America’s greatest, and most underrated, strategic achievements. Almost 80 years after Hiroshima, fewer than 10 countries possess the world’s deadliest weapons — a testament to international cooperation and US power. On a recent trip to Seoul to participate in the annual Munhwa Future Report, hosted by the Munhwa Ilbo newspaper, I got a glimpse of what makes the nonproliferation regime so resilient, and what could eventually bring it down.

Nuclear weapons are clearly on the collective South Korean mind these days. Last year’s Washington Declaration between presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol committed the US to make South Korea a closer partner in planning for the potential wartime use of nuclear weapons. Analysts and politicians now debate whether Seoul should seek the return of US tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula after nearly three decades. According to opinion polling, a strong majority of South Koreans even want the country to build its own nuclear weapons.