Breaking Bad: South Korea's Nuclear Option with Victor Cha

November 8, 2024 - Is South Korea on the verge of a nuclear breakout? Join us for a discussion about South Korea’s nuclear option with Victor Cha, the president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the distinguished university professor at Georgetown University. Much of the speculation in Washington and Seoul about South Korea’s nuclear ambitions has been informed by a handful of recent public opinion polls. This has created an echo chamber effect in Washington and Seoul where some experts have accepted South Korean nuclear ambitions as a reality. Using evidence derived from multi-question polling of South Korean strategic elites available to read here, Dr. Cha finds that concerns about a nuclear South Korea are exaggerated: 66 percent of South Korean strategic elites oppose nuclearization and confidence in the United States as a security provider remains strong. However, if the U.S. withdraws ground troops from South Korea or otherwise triggers abandonment fears, half of the strategic elites who presently oppose nuclearization would change their minds. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado.  

This program is co-sponsored by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and the Columbia SIPA Korea Focus student club.  

The Korea Society thanks the Korea Foundation, our corporate sponsors, and individual members for their generous support, which has made this program possible. 

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1875-breaking-bad-south-koreas-nuclear-option