south korea will not develop nuclear weapons president
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

from the nuclear-armed North

South Korea will not develop nuclear weapons: president

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today South Korea will not develop nuclear weapons: president

President Moon Jae.
Seoul - Arab Today

President Moon Jae-in told lawmakers on Wednesday that South Korea would not seek to have nuclear weapons and said that Seoul would never accept its neighbor North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

"According to the joint agreement by the two Koreas on denuclearization, North Korea's nuclear state cannot be accepted or tolerated. We will not develop or possess nuclear weapons either," the president said in his second state of the nation address at the National Assembly, South Korea's parliament.

Recent tests by North Korea have led to a renewed debate about nuclear weapons in South Korea. Though the country once sought its own nuclear weapons in the 1970s during the presidency of Park Chung-hee, it was convinced by the United States to abandon those ambitions.

The United States stationed nuclear-armed weapons in South Korea during the Cold War until 1991, when President George H.W. Bush withdrew all tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad, though the country remains protected by North Korean nuclear weapons under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

After North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 6, a number of politicians suggested that the South should reconsider its own nuclear weapons program. In the weeks after that test, a group of lawmakers from South Korea's opposition party, the Liberty Korea Party, came to Washington to ask for the redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to the country.

The debate has also taken place within Moon's own ruling party, the Democratic Party. "The redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons is an alternative worth a full review," Defense Minister Song Young-moo said in early September, before North Korea's latest nuclear test.

Before he was elected, President Donald Trump also suggested he was open to the possibility of countries like South Korea and Japan acquiring their own nuclear weapons to deal with the threat of North Korea.

However, Moon has remained adamantly against nuclear weapons in South Korea and repeatedly said he would not consider redeployment due to the possibility of raising tensions with North Korea unnecessarily. During a recent visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to Seoul, both Mattis and Song dismissed the idea of redeploying nuclear weapons.

"When considering national interest, it's much better not to deploy them," said Song, while Mattis said that U.S. strategic assets already provided the necessary deterrence.

Despite Moon's strong opposition to nuclear weapons, recent polls have shown that a majority of South Koreans favor them. A poll conducted by Gallup Korea in September found that 60 percent of South Koreans supported nuclear weapons for their country in theory, a number consistent with other polls conducted recently.

Speaking to the National Assembly on Wednesday, Moon said that other options were preferable to military action with North Korea. "Sanctions and pressure are means to bring North Korea to the negotiating table and to make the right choice," Moon said.

"There can never be a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula or military operations without the South Korean government's prior consent," the president added.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

south korea will not develop nuclear weapons president south korea will not develop nuclear weapons president

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

south korea will not develop nuclear weapons president south korea will not develop nuclear weapons president

 



GMT 12:48 2016 Sunday ,27 November

Cilic, Dodig push Croatia to brink of Davis Cup

GMT 05:24 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Erdogan says 'terrorist' Assad cannot be part of Syria

GMT 12:59 2016 Saturday ,05 November

WB welcomes economic reforms in Egypt

GMT 18:40 2016 Saturday ,05 November

Egyptian GDRs in London down

GMT 10:57 2017 Wednesday ,06 December

Peru striker Guerrero has doping ban extended

GMT 17:51 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Trump Signs New Travel Ban on Six Muslim Countries

GMT 10:30 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

Saudi Information Ministry praises media role during Hajj

GMT 15:29 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Mind games really do help your brain

GMT 06:55 2015 Thursday ,01 October

Boston Red Sox beat Yankees

GMT 08:17 2017 Monday ,28 August

Bahrain celebrates World Humanitarian Day 2017

GMT 02:07 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

Opposition seeks Russian support at Syria talks

GMT 11:06 2017 Wednesday ,27 December

Bahrain tourism projects valued at over $ 13 billion

GMT 20:35 2011 Tuesday ,10 May

New exhibition of Islamic ornaments

GMT 19:52 2016 Friday ,19 August

Nice joins wave of French towns banning burkinis

GMT 03:46 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

US-backed Syrian forces seize Raqqa mosque

GMT 22:22 2017 Friday ,15 December

BDF Military Museum open on National Day

GMT 09:47 2015 Wednesday ,02 December

Ryanair launches court action against Google, eDreams

GMT 10:46 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

Japan's February trade surplus hits multi-year high
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday