The Korean Odyssey

   *Can   nuclear weapons ensure South Korea’s safety and bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula?  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University South Korea has recently been engulfed in a heated debate about South Korean nuclear armament. President Yoon Suk Yeol ignited the debate with his October 2022 report before the Ministry of Defense. The President claimed that "the problem [of North Korean nuclear armament] has become serious, and we may need deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Korea or develop nuclear weapons of our own." In a recent poll by Choi Jong-hyun Academy, 76.6% of South Korean citizens polled “agree” or “somewhat agree” that South Korea needs to develop its own nuclear weapons. ( English language summary of the study ) So,  can   nuclear weapons ensure South Korea’s safety and bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula? I am inclined to say “no.” This article is the second column in the “Korean P

  * What lesson can we learn from efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula over the past 30 years? @iStock     Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University This year, the North Korean nuclear problem continues to be a pressing issue not just for security on the Korean Peninsula, but for Northeast Asia and the global non-proliferation regime as well. Even though denuclearization negotiations have been suspended since the failed Hanoi U.S.-North Korea summit in 2019, discussions about denuclearization policy have never stopped. Recently, however, these discussions have shifted to focus on seeking ways to balance out or deter the North through South Korean nuclear armament. This essay is the first in a three-part series exploring the problems that have arisen over the last 30 years of efforts to denuclearize the peninsula and offers possible solutions. First, I will look for the root causes of the current vicious spiral deterring denuclearization