Morning calm, nuclear sunset
Subtitle: South Korea's atomic option
By: Alden D. Pierce
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 184
Description: U.S. national security strategy sets nuclear nonproliferation as a high priority. However pursuing      nonproliferation without regard for important traditional security relationships might yield undesired results. The      Republic of Korea (ROK) requires a high degree of confidence in the U.S. security guarantee one that      includes an extended nuclear deterrent. The nuclear weapons program that South Korea began and      abandoned in the 1970s was prompted by a decrease in confidence in U.S. security commitments.      Conciliatory actions taken recently by the United States toward the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea      (DPRK) to prevent a possible nuclear weapons program may undermine the U.S.-ROK security arrangement      that has been in place for decades. This work examines perceived threats to South Korea and the U.S.      security commitment to Korea since 1945 to reveal how U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy affects Seoul's      propensity to develop nuclear weapons. Recommendations are provided for policy makers regarding      strengthening of ROK confidence in the U.S. commitment on the peninsula, with particular emphasis on      preventing South Korea from pursuing a nuclear arsenal.
Notes: "Septermber 1998."

Thesis advisor(s): Max F. Platzer, Kevin D. Jones.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs) Naval Postgraduate School, September 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-82)

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

US Navy (USN) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 11/04/98.