Calls grow for South Korea to develop nukes

SEOUL: South Korean politicians have said their country should develop its own nuclear weapons because the US under Donald Trump’s leadership cannot be trusted to come to the support of its allies.

As North Korea continues to test longrange missiles designed to carry nuclear bombs, the South remains heavily reliant on the US and its allies for defence.

Trump’s isolationist rhetoric has caused concern among US allies, as have his calls for Asian countries to take on more of the cost of their defence.

During last year’s presidential campaign, the Republican suggested South Korea and Japan should develop nuclear arsenals in response to the threat from North Korea.

“Trump’s ‘America-first’ policy has triggered this kind of public sentiment,” said Moon Chung-in, a national security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

President Moon is against calls for South Korea to develop a nuclear programme but polls suggest the proposal has the support of a majority of the public.

“They want to strike a better balance of power between South and North Korea, and I also support that position,” said Yoon Young Seok, an MP who belongs to the conservative Liberty Korea Party.

South Korea had been trying to develop its own nuclear weapons until the 1970s, when it gave up the programme under pressure from the US. It now relies heavily on the deterrent provided by the US’s 4,000 nuclear weapons. – The Independent