"Trump May Allow South Korea Independent Nuclear Armament After North America Nuclear Summit"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump could allow South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons in exchange for direct diplomatic negotiations with North Korea if he wins the presidential election, according to a U.S. think tank's prediction.

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On the 9th (local time), Andrew Yeo, a senior researcher at the Brookings Institution, made this claim in a report titled "The Importance of North Korea in the U.S. Presidential Election."

The report stated, "The range of opportunities and risks in North Korea-U.S. relations is very broad if Trump returns to power," and predicted, "Trump and Kim Jong-un have maintained a personal bond even after the failure of the 2019 Hanoi summit, and Trump himself is likely to try to finalize negotiations with North Korea."

Although the Republican Party has traditionally taken a hawkish stance toward North Korea, it is expected that former President Trump is highly likely to actively engage in North Korea issues regardless of ideology. In this process, the U.S. might abandon the principle of nuclear non-proliferation and may not pursue North Korea's complete denuclearization.

The report pointed out, "Trump's desire to be the first U.S. president to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue will fuel such contacts," and warned, "Concerns have already emerged that he might engage in a bad deal that tolerates North Korea's nuclear regime without obtaining substantial commitments from Pyongyang."

However, it anticipated that the South Korean government might oppose North Korea-U.S. talks, and in this process, the U.S. could allow South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.

The report forecasted, "Trump may permit independent nuclear armament for South Korea or approve the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to appease South Korea," and added, "The option of establishing a nuclear sharing agreement with South Korea could also be considered."

On the other hand, if President Joe Biden remains in the White House, it is expected that there will be little change to the existing policy of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and unconditional opening of dialogue channels with North Korea.

Concerns about the military closeness between North Korea and Russia were also raised.

The report emphasized, "Given North Korea's current stance of maintaining its nuclear arsenal and strengthening ties with Russia, the choices available to the next U.S. president are limited," and stressed, "Whoever becomes president must firmly address the North Korean nuclear issue, which can be achieved through strong alliances including the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan."

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