Yoon Sang-hyun: "Independent Nuclear Armament Theory Is Not a Realistic Option... Need to Consider Rotational Deployment of Zumwalt"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Yoon Sang-hyun, an independent lawmaker and former chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, criticized the 'independent nuclear armament theory' raised by some opposition circles as "not a realistic card."

On the 19th, Yoon said on Facebook, "The independent nuclear armament theory is familiar and comfortable, but it is not a realistic card."

Earlier, Oh Se-hoon, a presidential candidate from the United Future Party and former mayor of Seoul, mentioned the necessity of nuclear armament, and Han Ki-ho, a member of the United Future Party's Foreign and Security Special Committee, also referred to nuclear armament, saying, "There is no countermeasure against nuclear weapons other than nuclear weapons."

However, Yoon said, "Our country is a state that has signed and abides by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement and does not develop nuclear weapons," adding, "Independent nuclear armament would mean isolation from the international community."

He pointed out, "We would no longer be able to import nuclear power plant fuel, and trade would come to a halt. The enormous impact on our economy would be unpredictable. Above all, we would suffer an irreparable wound by being treated as the same kind of rogue state as the DPRK (North Korea) in the global community," and criticized, "Discussions immersed in justifications are not productive."

As an alternative, Yoon proposed restoring the Korea-US combined forces. He said, "We must resume joint exercises that have been suspended or reduced to reinforce the damaged Korea-US alliance capabilities," and added, "We should consider alternatives such as the permanent deployment of US military submarines equipped with nuclear missiles in waters outside Korean territorial seas, the conclusion of a nuclear sharing agreement between Korea and the US, and the rotational deployment of the US Navy's stealth destroyer Zumwalt."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.