US foreign and security expert: US should not pledge nuclear umbrella to South Korea

Doug Bandow, a senior research fellow at the Kato Institute, a conservative think tank in the US, argued that "Korea should no longer commit to a nuclear umbrella."

In an article published on the 18th (local time) in the National Interest, a diplomatic media outlet, Bandou said, "Chairman Kim Jong-un is developing the ability to inflict enormous damage on East Asia, including Guam and US bases in Japan, and to carry out retaliation on the US mainland. ' he said like this.

"Therefore, it is natural for US policymakers to be concerned about the viability of the nuclear umbrella," he said.

According to Senior Researcher Bandow, only a few years ago, US politicians did not have in mind a North Korean attack on the US mainland. Public opinion in the United States is still of the opinion that Korea should be protected.

However, if war actually breaks out and North Korea mobilizes nuclear weapons as a last resort, the situation is highly likely to change, according to Bandow's analysis.

Senior Researcher Bandow pointed out that the basic position of the United States remains unchanged in that it provides South Korea with a strong deterrent by guaranteeing a nuclear umbrella, but it is an act that exposes the American people to risk.

"Imagine a situation where the president of the United States uses nuclear weapons to protect South Korea despite the threat of the destruction of several cities and the death of millions of people," he said. It seems to be," he said.

"The talk of protecting others sounds noble, but if the expected outcome is mass deaths and destruction, it's more accurate to view it as self-defeating," he added.

"What the South Korean government wants and how it will respond cannot be the main issue," he said, urging the US politicians to engage in frank dialogue with the people regarding the provision of a nuclear umbrella to South Korea.