ABSTRACT
In 1977, imported oil constituted 60 per cent of the energy requirements of South Korea. Nuclear energy therefore presents an attractive alternative for the future and South Korean governments have expressed ambitious aims regarding its development. Faced with security requirements posed by the threat from North Korea, South Korea already bears a heavy defence burden. Nuclear weapons developed in South Korea could have consequences incommensurate with their possible advantages. Domestic public opinion, normally quiescent on this issue, would also be aroused, both by the prospect of using nuclear weapons against fellow Koreans and by the dangers of direct involvement in superpower conflict. Faced with security requirements posed by the threat from North Korea, South Korea already bears a heavy defence burden. World public opinion in general would be unfavourable to South Korea, and a tarnished public image would handicap the country’s foreign policy, including its relations with the Third World.
