South Korean Nuclear Weapons Would Make Things Worse'
Toby Dalton and Van Jackson | Global Asia
Over the last decade, prominent South Korean politicians, including several presidential candidates, began to speak publicly about acquiring nuclear weapons. These views have gained in popularity such that today pro-nuclear sentiments appear to be a mainstream idea…Despite the apparent popularity of nuclear weapons in South Korea, however, there is a striking dearth of logic for how they would actually improve the country’s security.
China’s Role in Shaping South Korea’s Nuclear Choice
Tong Zhao and Jungmin Kang | Global Asia
How might China respond to South Korea’s nuclear ambitions? How could China’s response shape South Korea’s future choices? Furthermore, what steps can regional nations and the international community take to work with China to reduce the proliferation risk and promote a stable regional nuclear order? This essay aims to examine these concerns in ways the existing literature has not addressed.
North Korean Leader Vows ‘Offensive’ Nuclear Expansion
KIM TONG-HYUNG | Associated Press
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more “practical and offensive” ways as he met with senior military officials to discuss the country’s war preparations in the face of his rivals’ “frantic” military exercises, state media said Tuesday. The meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Monday came amid heightened tensions as the pace of both the North Korean weapons demonstrations and the U.S.-South Korean joint military drills have intensified in recent weeks in a cycle of tit-for-tat.
Americans Now Fear Cyberattack More than Nuclear Attack
DANIEL DE VISÉ | The Hill
Americans now see cyberattack as the greatest threat facing the country, two recent polls show, suggesting that cyber fears have outflanked concern over climate change, immigration, terrorism or nuclear weapons...In the Gallup poll, published last month, 84 percent of respondents rated cyberterrorism as a critical threat, ranking it above 10 other fears, including international terrorism, global warming, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and Iran’s nuclear program.
Russia Clashes With US Over Tactical Nukes for Belarus
EDITH M. LEDERER | Associated Press
Russia and the U.S. clashed in the United Nations on Friday over Moscow’s plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which neighboring Ukraine denounced as a desperate Kremlin attempt to avoid military defeat and “threaten the world with nuclear apocalypse.”
China, without naming Russia, made clear its opposition to the planned deployment.
Study: Shutting Down Nuclear Power Could Increase Air Pollution
Jennifer Chu | MIT News
MIT researchers say there’s another factor to consider in weighing the future of nuclear power: air quality. In addition to being a low carbon-emitting source, nuclear power is relatively clean in terms of the air pollution it generates. Without nuclear power, how would the pattern of air pollution shift, and who would feel its effects?...Their analysis reveals that indeed, air pollution would increase, as coal, gas, and oil sources ramp up to compensate for nuclear power’s absence.