South Korean Experts Debate Nuclear Armament Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty

As Pyongyang flexes its atomic muscles, Seoul faces growing calls to take its own nuclear path, triggering a heated debate on security and global fallout.

Members from think tanks, academia, and legislature gather at Seoul's National Assembly for a seminar hosted by the Seoul Defense Forum titled “South Korea’s Response to North Korean Nuclear Crisis" in South Korea on March 20, 2025. Han Ki Min/ The Epoch Times

News Analysis

SEOUL—Some South Korean experts are revisiting the question of whether the country should develop its own nuclear weapons amid heightened geopolitical uncertainties. For decades, the country has lived under Washington’s promise of protection in exchange for nonproliferation.