Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon Pyo, who are leading ruling party presidential candidates, voiced their opinions on the 13th that the U.S. dismissed President Yoon Suk Yeol's "self-nuclear armament" remarks, saying, "Korea also needs nuclear armament."

Earlier, President Yoon said in a report by the Ministry of National Defense on the 11th, "The Republic of Korea may have its own nuclear weapons," adding, "If that happens, it will not take a long time with our science and technology and we will be able to have nuclear weapons sooner." It was the first suggestion of its own nuclear armament since former President Park Chung-hee.

Since then, the U.S. has immediately expressed its opposition. "President Joe Biden promised to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, which has not changed," White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communication Coordinator John Kirby said in a briefing on the 12th, "South Korea and the U.S. are jointly discussing expanding deterrence."

On the 13th, the Democratic Party of Korea also criticized President Yoon for trying to push the Korean Peninsula into this war, Park Hong-geun, and the president's reckless security populism is shaking not only the situation in Northeast Asia but also the Korea-U.S. alliance.

In response, Mayor Oh and Mayor Hong supported President Yoon's "self-armed nuclear" remarks.

Mayor Oh posted on Facebook that day, saying, "It is urgent to review independent nuclear armament." "A passive nuclear umbrella, which is entirely up to the will of the U.S., is not enough," he said. "Only then can we negotiate on an equal footing with North Korea and China, bring about their changes, and protect ourselves."

To the Democratic Party of Korea, which criticized President Yoon's nuclear-armed remarks, "The Democratic Party's remarks are only a 'transfer' that provides North Korea and China only an excuse to attack South Korea's security measures," he said. "The Democratic Party is guilty of buying time for North Korea's advancement by keeping pace with the Moon Jae In's five-year-long attack on camouflage peace." He said, "I am not qualified to comment on North Korea's nuclear weapons program."

Hong criticized the U.S. for dismissing President Yoon's nuclear-armed remarks. Mayor Hong said on Facebook, "It is pathetic that the U.S. is still reciting the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a version that has already become impossible more than 30 years ago, like a broken record, even though it has already been confirmed through previous governments that diplomacy cannot be done."

He added, "To achieve peace, prepare for war," adding, "The U.S. should quickly know that armed peace and nuclear balance are the only way to establish peace in Northeast Asia and to check China."

커머스갤러리 신교근 기자 / cmcglr@cmcglr.com