Lee Jun-seok "Trump's remarks are serious"... Opinion poll also released showing 'preponderance in favor of redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons'

Amid concerns about the possibility of the Trump administration's 'toleration of North Korea's nuclear weapons' due to U.S. President Donald Trump's order to reduce ROK-US joint exercises and mention of North Korea's nuclear weapons possessions, the 'self-nuclear armament theory' is raising its head again in some conservative opposition groups, including the People Power Party.

In addition to the arguments that have been raised previously, such as the redeployment of U.S. military tactical nuclear weapons in Korea and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-style nuclear sharing, there is even a hard-line argument that 'let's use this opportunity to develop our own nuclear weapons.'

Rep. Na Kyung-won, a five-term People Power Party member who served as the chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said in a Facebook post on the 21st that President Trump recently mentioned the status of North Korea's nuclear weapons, saying, "This is the first time that a U.S. president has specified the number of North Korean nuclear weapons," and pointed out, "The grand principle of the ROK-U.S. alliance that has been maintained for over 30 years, 'complete denuclearization,' was not even mentioned."

He continued, "A deal between North Korea and North Korea without denuclearization is not peace. Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek's idle talk of countering North Korea's nuclear provocations with conventional weapons is a dereliction of duty that puts the people at risk," and emphasized, "The most realistic and powerful alternative to protect the survival of the Republic of Korea is its own nuclear armament."

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the same party said in a Facebook post on the 19th, "I have been advocating the need for sharing nuclear weapons with the U.S., strengthening practical nuclear deterrence, including redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons, and limited nuclear armament on the premise of dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons."

On the 16th, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said on Facebook, "What we need now is a nuclear doctrine and a nuclear armament project that overwhelms North Korea's nuclear weapons," and proposed nuclear sharing, the authority to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and secure nuclear-powered submarines.

Previously, the conservative opposition New Reform Party recently conducted and released its own public opinion poll on expanded deterrence measures against North Korea, including the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.

In a survey conducted by the Reform Research Institute on the 11th of 501 men and women over the age of 18 across the country (95% confidence level ±4.4%p, response rate 1.63%), 75.1% of respondents were in favor of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons, and 17.2% were opposed.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the New Reform Party, appeared on KBS radio that day and said, "President Trump made a statement the year before last that virtually acknowledged North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons," and added, "Our people should take this seriously."