Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of news coverage regarding North Korea and the nuclear test they conducted back in September. Citizens in not just the surrounding countries, but in the West as well, are nervous for North Korea’s encroachment on perfecting their nuclear capabilities. Besides the United States, the country that would be most affected by the DPRK’s abilities would, of course, be their neighbor South Korea. For decades, the two countries have been at odds. There is currently no policy to launch any preemptive nuclear strikes, but officials and citizens are urging South Korea to change that. However, the United States is opposed to this, as our nation is pro non-proliferation. In this case, knowing that no nation can impose another to do something because of national sovereignty, I believe that we as the U.S. should not object to South Korea developing an arsenal. This would mean that they would have to withdraw their signature from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which may cause controversy, but the nation must do what is best for them. At the same time, we should not encourage them to develop a vast amount, or even use them if there is no immediate threat.
Additionally, in the article titled “South Korea’s March Toward a Strike-First Nuclear Policy,” it discusses what both American presidential candidates have stated in regards to the issue at hand. Donald Trump said that South Korea, Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia should take on more of the financial responsibility to help combat the problem. Additionally, he believes that South Korea and Japan should stock up on nuclear weapons. Although I may have just said the same thing, this rhetoric does not reflect U.S. policy. It is clear that Donald Trump needs to be more well-versed in foreign policy, but hopefully there will be no chance for him to even need to.