ROK Presidential Candidate Says If Elected He May Ask U.S. to Bring Back Tactical Nukes to Korean Peninsula
Yoon Seok-youl may be interested in bringing U.S. tactical nukes back to South Korea, but does the U.S. want to do this? If the U.S. military needs to use nuclear weapons in response to a North Korean nuclear attack it seems a submarine would be just as effective?:
Yoon Seok-youl, the leading opposition presidential contender, said Wednesday he will demand the United States redeploy its tactical nuclear weapons here and have nuclear sharing with South Korea if national security is threatened by North Korea’s nukes and missiles.
Unveiling 11 election pledges on diplomacy and security issues, former Prosecutor-General Yoon said he will make efforts to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance to deter the North’s evolving nuclear and missile capabilities.
Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said he plans to seek consultation with the U.S. over the process to bring in U.S. nuclear strategic assets, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, when emergency situations occur on the Korean Peninsula.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The US is constrained by SALT and START treaties with Russia. China and others have taken advantage of that.
Perhaps SY Yoon should ask India to join UNC to help defend Korea? They are not constrained by those treaties and already hate China.
Certain classes of Americans tend to want to negotiate away any strategic advantages they obtain. Some examples below:
SALT I: Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon ’37
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_TalksSALT II: Jimmah Carter ’39
(never ratified but mostly followed until ’86)
START: George Bush ’41
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/START_ISTART II: George Bush ’41
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/START_IINew START: SCOAMF ’44
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_STARTSouth Korea doesn’t need tactical US nuclear weapons. South Korea needs its own nuclear missiles fired from the SLMB nuclear powered submarines. This is to ward off any hostile nations who think they can strike first and wipe out the small geographical South Korea and eliminating South Korean counterstrikes. Those hostile nations will be reminded that, yes they can lob a few nuclear missiles and wipe out South Korea with a first strike. But the nuclear powered South Korean submarines are still out there in the ocean, ready to pay back. This will dissuade nations who think they can win over South Korea, from striking first.
As for the US nuclear shield. Such a thing does not exist. The US will never sacrifice any of their cities, for South Korea. However the US does have the tendency to financially blackmail South Korea. Especially if and when Trump and their Trumpean supporters comes back to power in 4 years.