Should South Korea Develop Nuclear Weapons?

South Korea has long relied on the United States for deterrence against its nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea. But since his reelection, U.S. President Donald Trump has raised questions about Washington’s core commitments around the world. He and members of his cabinet have suggested Washington might withdraw from the Korean Peninsula altogether, or make Seoul pay billions for the defense the U.S. provides, including a nuclear umbrella against Pyongyang. As a result, a majority of Koreans now want the country to develop its own nuclear arsenal. This week on Counterpoint, we tackle the question: Should South Korea develop nuclear weapons? Arguing in favor is ⁠Jennifer Lind⁠, an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and the author of the forthcoming book, Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny. Making the case against Seoul developing its own nuclear weapons is Lami Kim, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu and the former director of the Asian studies program at the U.S. Army War College. Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. The show is hosted by Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Should South Korea Develop Nuclear Weapons? is an episode from Global Reboot by Foreign Policy.

This episode is 41:34 long.

This episode was published on Apr 30, 2025.

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