South Korea’s nuclear debate is no longer taboo

South Korea has long been held up as a model supporter of the global non-proliferation regime, trusting the American “nuclear umbrella” to keep the peace on the peninsula. But the strategic environment around Seoul has changed dramatically. North Korea now boasts a larger, more sophisticated nuclear and missile arsenal. At the same time, confidence in U.S.-extended deterrence has eroded amid American political polarization and doubts about Washington’s willingness to risk its own cities for an ally.

The result is something once unthinkable: a serious national debate over whether South Korea needs its own nuclear weapons. This is no longer a fringe idea. It is a mainstream conversation crossing generational, elite and partisan lines.

But while the question is understandable, the answer st