Prof. James Kim of Political Science on South Korean youth’s attitude to nuclear weapons in and article which was published by CSIS.
Why Young South Koreans Are Cooling on the Bomb
While many older South Koreans support nuclear armament, younger generations, the ones who will actually live with the consequences, do not share that view. Older South Koreans, shaped by memories of the Korean War and national vulnerability in the decades that followed, view nuclear weapons as essential and defensive. Young generations, raised in a globally integrated Korea with clear superiority over the North, see them as optional and potentially counterproductive.
Dr. James D. Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington and a 2024–2025 CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea NextGen Scholar.