South Korea

Country Profile 2: South Korea

By Yana Feldman and Jack Boureston
FirstWatch International (FWI)

Overview

In 1993 South Korean President Kim Young Sam stated that his nation would continue to refrain from developing nuclear weapons, unless it felt threatened by a North Korean nuclear capability. South Korean decisions regarding a nuclear weapons programme were and still are largely tied to a guarantee of security from the United States. The paradox stemming from U.S. efforts to diffuse the North Korean nuclear crisis is that by not punishing North Korea more aggressively for developing their nuclear weapons, the U.S. increases South Korean anxiety about its security. In February 2003 outgoing President Kim Dae-jung warned that the North’s activities could force South Korea and Japan to reconsider their stances on nuclear weapons.

Past nuclear policies

Nuclear facilities profiles

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Any reproduction of text and data is authorized only by permission, SIPRI July 2004.