Is South Korea on an ‘inevitable’ path to nuclear arms possession?

Channel News Asia ^ | 9/10 | Neo Chai Chin, Nicholas Deroose

[nickcarraway]

South Korea’s president says he has no plans to pursue own nuclear deterrent, despite the North’s growing threat. Some observers believe otherwise. Insight finds out.

“Simple” and “childish” was how Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, described South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol last month for his offer of aid in exchange for denuclearisation.

Calling Yoon’s offer the “height of absurdity”, she said in a statement carried by the North’s state news agency KCNA: "To think that the plan to barter 'economic cooperation' for our honour, (our) nukes, is the great dream, hope and plan of Yoon, we came to realise that he is really simple and still childish.”

"No one barters its destiny for corn cake," she added.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

As if they don’t already have them.

[BenLurkin]

Will trade the North food for nukes.

[wannabegeek]

We really don't know if South Korea and Japan already have their nukes, too. If their hostile communist neighbors ie communist China and north Korea have nuclear weapons, I would don't think South Korea, Japan and Taiwan don't have nuclear weapons yet, like when Pakistan begun to possess nuclear weapons, India got it, too.

[2CAVTrooper]

My bet is, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan could very well have working nuclear weapons in a matter of days.

[Jamestown1630]

This bitch is probably eating Wagyu, while the vast majority of NK IS eating ‘corn cake’ - if they can get even that.

[ModelBreaker]

I don’t see that nukes help them, at least against China. China doesn’t have to attack SK to enslave NK. They have to attack and hold Taiwan. SK would not use nukes to defend Taiwan. At that point, Japan and SK have to become vassal states because China controls their sea lanes.

[frank ballenger]

North Korea should put Kim in a capsule like John Glenn’s to mark the missile that can someday reach the US with a devastating nuclear bomb. They can fish it out of the water bobbing up and down to cheers. Unless he drowns like a dead mackerel.

Don’t tell him——Today’s headline:
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket explodes during unmanned launch.

[Antoninus]

As if they don’t already have them.

S. Korea, Japan, and perhaps Taiwan are nuclear powers in all but name.

[existtoexcel]

Kim Yo-jong, with nukes. A recent declaration of preemptive strike policy, approved by the Politburo that she is a member of, makes her being next in line worth a tic off the doomsday clock.

[PghBaldy]

IIRC, India exploded a “peaceful” nuclear device in about 1974, more than 20 years before Pakistan.

[Jumper]

Western newspapers reported unexplained explosions off the coast of S.Africa, speculation about the h at nation, Israel, S.Korea and Taiwan working on Nukes. S.Africa turned over their special weapons to Britan and US before turning country over to Mandela. N.Korea and China have never attacked so you can guess what was happening. Japan is quite resourceful!

[House Atreides]

“Japan is quite resourceful!”
*****************************
And they have MANY TONS of fissile material.

[wannabegeek]

Taiwan tested their nuclear bomb back in 1964, communist Chinese would have conquered their lands long time ago. Nationalist Chinese already showed off their Yun Feng 1,200 mile range ballistic missiles capable to carry 800 lbs nuclear warhead distributed in several strategic island bases not in main Taiwan island. But, but, the communists may have lots of long range balistic missiles with nuclear warhead pointed at Taiwan? Oh well, Taiwanese can get even, they may have at least hundreds Yun Feng's, too.

Japan still plagued by their Article 9, they now have three similar to U.S. Navy's Wasp class assault ships. .

South Korea I dunno, maybe they have something, too.

[nuke_road_warrior]

My bet is, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan could very well have working nuclear weapons in a matter of days.

My bet is that South Korea, and Japan already have deliverable nuclear weapons. Taiwan may have working nukes, if not that are working on them.

[Wuli]

If not they should be.