trump Administration Shift on South Koreaโ Nuclear Capabilities Sparks Debate
GYEONGJU, โSOUTH KOREA – A move by โthe Trump administration to allow south โคKorea to enrich uranium,โ revealed during President Donald Trump’sโข meeting with South Korean President Leeโฃ Jaeโค Myung at the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ โคsummit on โOct. 29, 2025, is reshaping the โขnuclearโข landscape and prompting both optimism and concern among โsecurity experts. The โdecision,a significant departure โขfrom decades ofโ U.S.policy, could grant Seoul a “latent nuke capability,” allowing the nation to rapidly develop nuclearโข weapons if deemed necesary.
for โฃdecades, the united states has discouraged nuclear proliferation on the Korean Peninsula, maintaining a strong security alliance with South Korea – includingโค the deployment of U.S. troops and a nuclear umbrella – as a deterrent againstโค North Korea’s nuclear โฃambitions. However, the shift signals a potential recalibration of that strategy, driven byโฃ evolving geopolitical dynamics and concerns about the reliability of U.S. commitment.
“This is a big growth in the alliance and a big change in U.S. policy,” said Victor Cha, a Georgetown governmentโ professor โand Koreaโ expert at the Center for Strategic โandโ International โฃStudies.He believes the โคproject is “goodโข for (South) โฃKorea and good for the alliance.”
The agreement centers on South Korea establishing the ability toโ enrich uranium for the first time. Nuclear latency, according โto weapons experts, exists โฃwhen a country possesses the knowledge, technology, and infrastructure to quickly build nuclear weapons shouldโค the need arise, without actively pursuing their development.โข
Experts suggest Southโ Korea may be seeking this latency due โคto โฃan increasingly uncertain relationship withโ the United States. “This is a big development inโค the alliance,” Cha stated.
The move is alsoโฃ seen as โขa potentialโ countermeasure โฃto growing threats from both China and North Korea,โ bolstering Seoul’s โnaval power through enhanced submarineโ capabilities. However, the decision isn’t without its critics.โ Some experts warnโ that pursuingโ nuclear latency could provoke north Korea and โinvite international sanctions, possiblyโ damaging South Korea’s economy andโ high-tech industries due to violations of treatiesโ against nuclear weapons development.
“Not allโฃ experts believe โคthat it wouldโค be good for โSouth Korea to build โnuclear weapons,” the reportโ notes, “because the move could provoke North Korea or โคharmโ the global economy.”
The submarine agreement, by boosting nuclear latency and โฃenhancing Seoul’s naval power โagainst threats from China โขandโค North Korea, could strengthen the alliance.
Contributing: Reuters
