Opposition leader calls for debate on nuclear armament

SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's opposition leader on Thursday raised the need to open a public debate on the nation's nuclear armament.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), issued the controversial call, saying South Korea's own nuclear armament would not be an easy task but that all possibilities should be considered as far as national security is concerned.

"South Korea's possession of its own nuclear weapons is a daunting issue that should be broadly discussed by the people, as well as with the international society," Hwang said in a written message sent to a political forum.

The forum was organized by an LKP lawmaker under the theme "It's time to consider nuclear armament."

"Considering our country's realities in which the worst circumstances cannot be ruled out, (independent nuclear armament) can no longer be overlooked," Hwang said. He added that the public is increasingly concerned about the Moon Jae-in government's handling of security policies.

He then attacked the Moon government for continuing to pursue economic cooperation with North Korea even after the North refused to give up its nuclear weapons.

"The nation's security regime has been collapsing due to the government's hasty and wrong judgment, while the South Korea-U.S. alliance has been seriously harmed. But the government still calls for peace and economic cooperation, turning a blind eye to the North's (lack of) denuclearization," said Hwang.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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