South Korean nuclear arms would cause ‘huge crack’ in US ties, roil economy: defence chief
- Shin Won-sik said having a home-grown nuclear arsenal risked devastating fallout to Seoul’s diplomatic standing and economy
As the neighbouring North rapidly expands nuclear and missile capabilities, more South Korean officials and members of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative ruling party have called in recent months for developing nuclear weapons.
But Shin, a former three-star army general who also served as a lawmaker in Yoon’s party, said having a home-grown nuclear arsenal risked devastating fallout to the South’s diplomatic standing and economy, akin to what analysts called Black Monday this week for the stock market’s worst losses since 2008.
“You’ll face a huge crack in the US alliance, and if we withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it would bring various penalties, starting with an immediate shock in our financial market,” he said in an interview.
Shin acknowledged that the debate among politicians and foreign policy experts was a sign that many South Koreans were still anxious about American extended deterrence – the US military capability, especially its nuclear forces.