U.S. President Donald Trump's reordering of foreign and security policy has confounded allies, with his reversal of committed support for Ukraine in its war with Russia stoking debate in South Korea over whether it needs its own nuclear defenses against a hostile North Korea. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)

Trump's Ukraine retreat fuels South Korea nuclear arms debate

Surveys show support for domestic nuke program, but proliferation, sanctions fears loom

RAPHAEL RASHID

April 25, 2025 06:00 JST

SEOUL -- Just hours into his second term in the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump spooked security circles in Seoul by formally referring to North Korea as a "nuclear power," breaking all precedents set by Washington and raising the prospect of U.S. reengagement with Pyongyang that might abandon the pursuit of denuclearization on the peninsula.

Seoul's response was swift, and another striking departure: Weeks later, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul declared that it was now "not off the table" for his country to need to develop its own nuclear weapons program.