| Summary/Abstract |
This paper examines the logics and problems of U.S. nuclear weapon redeployment demands among the general public in the Republic of Korea (ROK) to cope with the nuclear threat from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Proponents of the idea believe that redeploying U.S. nuclear weapons on ROK soil will help to restore the military balance on the Korean Peninsula and strengthen strategic options for denuclearization efforts. However, U.S. nuclear weapon redeployment is not only contradictory to defense policy of both the ROK and the United States, but also not so effective in terms of both military and diplomatic aspects. The ROK and U.S. governments should seek and carry out more practical policy alternatives to deter military challenges from a nuclear-armed North Korea and revitalize efforts for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, rather than resorting to the illusion of U.S. nuclear weapon redeployment.
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