Seoul, South Korea (CNN) South Korea doesn’t need nuclear weapons to fend off the North Korean threat, the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in an exclusive interview with CNN — even as public opinion swings the other way amid Asia’s acceleration of the arms race .
Several recent public polls “definitely showed that we should upgrade. In terms of nuclear capabilities (according to polls), we should go further,” Han told CNN’s host and business editor Richard Quest during a session in Seoul.
One such survey, released last February, found that 71% of More than 1,300 respondents in the country supported South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons – a once unthinkable idea that has become increasingly mainstream over the past decade, with rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and dwindling confidence in South Korea towards the US Protection.
However, Han insisted the country has enough in its arsenal to fend off North Korea’s “absurd ambitions” – and that developing nuclear capabilities is not “the way forward”.
“We have built up quite an adequate level of our deterrence capabilities in close cooperation with the United States,” he said, adding that since President Yoon Suk Yeol took power last year, the government has placed “great emphasis” on strengthening its deterrence .
“We should work with the international community … to put a lot of constant pressure on North Korea to be denuclearized,” he said. “We want North Korea to know that the development and advancement of nuclear capabilities will not guarantee peace and prosperity in their country.”
Relations between North and South Korea have soured in recent years as Pyongyang ramped up its weapons program and launched a record number of missiles last year – including one that flew over Japan, the first time North Korea has done so in five years had, leading to international alarm.
And for months, the US and international observers have been warning that North Korea is apparently preparing for its first underground nuclear test since 2017. The country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, also sharpened his rhetoric last year; He declared his intention to build the world’s “most powerful” nuclear force, warned opponents that North Korea was fully prepared for “actual war”, vowed to “never give up” nuclear weapons and dismissed the possibility of negotiating denuclearization.
In response, the US and its allies South Korea and Japan have stepped up their own military exercises and cooperation. Yoon, which has publicly taken a tough stance on North Korea, has even promised to build its own nuclear arsenal, saying in January it could “use tactical nuclear weapons or have nuclear weapons of its own.”
And while Han opposed such a plan, he too stressed South Korea’s willingness to confront its nuclear-armed neighbor — and its openness to further talks under certain conditions.
“We are not disarming against North Korea,” he said. “But we will not close the channel of dialogue with North Korea… as long as North Korea renounces its very strong nuclear ambitions.”
China’s role
Han also discussed China’s role in the region, saying the superpower is “not the country it used to be” over the past few decades, which has ushered in economic reform and liberalization.
“China is a huge and important global player,” he said. “Including Korea, I think many countries would like to see (China) comply better with global rules.”
He added that although China “will do a lot to help solve global problems,” the country often doesn’t “live up to expectations that many countries would like — for example, we hoped China would be more aggressive and active in defusing tensions the Korean Peninsula.”
China has been North Korea’s largest trading partner and economic lifeline for years, with Pyongyang isolated from much of the world.
But Beijing is also an important player in the Asian arms race.
In January, US and Japanese ministers warned of the “ongoing and accelerating expansion of (China’s) nuclear arsenal.” Just days later, Japan’s prime minister expressed concern over China’s military activities in the East China Sea and the launching of ballistic missiles over Taiwan that landed in waters near Japan in August.
China’s military build-up, aggressive foreign policy and several disputed territorial claims have not gone unnoticed in Seoul — where attitudes toward Beijing are quick to go awry.
In the 2022 survey on South Korea’s nuclear weapons, more than half of respondents said China will pose the biggest threat to the country in 10 years, and many cited “different threats than North Korea” behind their support for a domestic nuclear arsenal.
Han acknowledged that Seoul is closely monitoring these territorial disputes.
“Peace in the Taiwan Strait is also very important for the security and peace of the Korean peninsula,” he said. And while South Korea is “committed” to the one-China policy, he said, “at the same time, we (expect) China to be more rule-based and not behave like a country… condemned by the international community.” “