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Joo Ho-young, the floor spokesperson of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a meeting of lawmakers at the National Assembly on March 28. (Yonhap)

A senior politician in South Korea’s ruling party remarked on Tuesday that NATO-style nuclear sharing ought to be seen as a “strong option” for the country in the face of threats from North Korea.

“The option of NATO-style nuclear sharing is being considered along with redeploying tactical nuclear weapons [to the Korean Peninsula] in response to North Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile provocations as we near President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the US [in April],” said Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, in a meeting with party lawmakers Tuesday.

“While NATO-style nuclear sharing isn’t likely yet because it would amount to acknowledging North Korea as a nuclear weapon state, it should be regarded as a strong option if [the North] carries out a seventh nuclear test,” Joo said.

Nuclear sharing refers to the US’ practice of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in NATO member states. One problem with adopting the same approach in South Korea is that it would amount to abandoning the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, robbing Seoul of any legitimacy to demand Pyongyang’s denuclearization.

That’s an issue that Yoon himself has brought up before. When a presidential candidate, Hong Joon-pyo (currently mayor of Daegu) advocated NATO-style nuclear sharing during a debate in the People Power Party presidential primary in September 2021, Yoon said that would amount to “treating North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons as a fait accompli, which would torpedo the denuclearization talks.”

Furthermore, South Korea would likely end up shouldering the risks of having nuclear weapons in its territory without having much to show for that. The US doesn’t share ownership, control or usage of its nuclear weapons with its allies. NATO-style nuclear sharing only guarantees deliberation between allies in regard to nuclear weapon usage plans, decision making and nuclear weapon transportation.

There are also concerns that the Korean Peninsula could become the arena for a nuclear confrontation.

“That would prompt the US to enter a nuclear arms race with North Korea, China and Russia on the Korean Peninsula,” said Kim Joon-hyung, former chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy.

By Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter; Oh Yeon-seo, staff reporter

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