A helicopter takes off from the South Korean Navy’s destroyer during live-fire drills in waters off Taean, South KoreaThe U.S. stationed tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea until the early 1990s, when it withdrew its nuclear arsenal under a disarmament deal with the Soviet Union. Since then, there have been periodic calls in South Korea for redeployment, which intensified in response to North Korea’s progress in nuclear development. In 2017, when North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test and a nuclear test, the conservative party led a nationwide campaign to consolidate support for redeployment. Some lawmakers have even called for the U.S. to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula again or for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.South Korea is protected under what is known as the nuclear umbrella—an agreement that says the U.S. will use its nuclear weapons to defend its ally. Mr. Yoon said this week that he would consider suspending a 2018 pact between the countries that bars hostile acts in border areas if North Korea violated South Korean airspace again.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 16, 2023 07:26 UTC