South Korean nuclear armament will make it harder for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a former commander of the US military in South Korea said at a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Monday.

A growing number of South Koreans see nuclear armament as a feasible option amid stalled nuclear talks between the US and the North, which have yet to narrow differences over which steps to take first between denuclearization and sanctions relief. In January, Pyongyang reaffirmed its commitment to a nuclear buildup.

“My opinion is that the provision of nuclear weapons in South Korea would not be helpful,” said Gen. Vincent Brooks, who retired from active duty in 2019.

“I think that it would further solidify North Korea’s lock in on their nuclear weapons, which stays reticent to yield in the first place, to give up in the first place.”

Brooks said China and Japan would not welcome a nuclear South Korea because the change affects power dynamics in the region. Beijing is trying to wield a greater influence, while Tokyo attempts to counter that with US support.

Brooks said Washington addresses Seoul’s concerns over the so-called extended deterrence -- powerful US reinforcements such as nuclear weapons, bombers and attack submarines in the event of war -- by taking South Korean officials on a tour of its key assets.

“But it doesn’t become universal reassurance. It’s for the few policymakers who are actually able to be exposed to it, and we hope that they would provide a contrarian voice to those who would seek to pursue their own nuclear capability in South Korea,” he said.

South Koreans should be able to feel assured that the US would deploy those reinforcements, and the way to make that feeling more tangible is through “confidence building activities” such as senior-level military exchanges, Brooks said, referring to the recent talks in Seoul.

The previous week, the US secretaries of defense and state met with their Korean counterparts to discuss their North Korea policy and global initiatives.

“The US remains fully committed to the defense of the Republic of Korea, using the full range of US capabilities, including our extended deterrence,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, using South Korea’s official name.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)