Frank Smith
Press TV, Seoul
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been under pressure for his hard-line policy against North Korea as tensions increase amid renewed large-scale military exercises with the US. This week he sought to reassure the National Assembly, and the public.
Progressive civil society worries the Korean Peninsula has fallen into a crisis, with unification becoming more and more remote. They oppose the military exercises, demanding an end to the drills and a rethinking of South Korea’s alliance with the United States.
The US-South Korea drills have continued since the end of August, following North Korea’s testing of dozens of ballistic missiles. South Korea this week staged a large-scale amphibious landing drill. North Korea views such military exercises as a rehearsal for invasion.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has emphasized the need for the US to show a strong commitment toward extended deterrence, the US nuclear umbrella.
But it may not be enough, as conservative hardliners here argue South Korea should develop its own nuclear weapons.
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