(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on May 30)

'Nuclear sovereignty'
Hardliners urged to refrain from irrational demands

It is important to form a cool and rational response to North Korea's series of
provocative actions, including its second nuclear test and missile launches.

Overreaction and emotional approaches are certainly what the isolated communist
state is trying to extract from South Korea and its allies. The South should take
firm and resolute action against the North in cooperation with the international
community to encourage the Kim Jong-il regime to give up its nuclear brinkmanship
and other types of provocations.
However, some hardliners are putting forth reckless and irrational demands for an
"eye for an eye" approach toward the recalcitrant North. Such demands include
South Korea's development of its own nuclear weapons and the postponement or
abolishment of a plan to take over wartime operational command from the United
States. It goes without saying that these radical demands only make it more
difficult to find a solution to the escalating crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
More worrisome is that some conservative parties, including the governing Grand
National Party (GNP), are riding a wave of stronger sentiment against the North.
On Wednesday, Rep. Park Sun-young of the splinter Liberty Forward Party floated
the idea of developing an atomic bomb for self-defense purposes. GNP Chairman
Park Hee-tae also hinted at the need for South Korea's own nuclear capability by
saying that "it is time to consider taking a new approach that is different from
what the country has taken so far" against the North.
GNP Rep. Kim Dong-sung even suggested the South declare a plan for nuclear
armament to defend against the North, which apparently has no intention of
abandoning its ambitions of becoming a nuclear power. Kim and others seem to
believe that it is natural for the South to restore its "nuclear sovereignty"
because Pyongyang unilaterally scrapped a joint declaration on the nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula which was signed by both sides in 1992.
But we have to keep in mind that the North Korean crisis can never be solved with
a "nuke for a nuke" formula. It is certain that the North's development and
possession of nuclear weapons will prompt a nuclear domino effect in Northeast
Asia. Japan may exploit Pyongyang's threats as a pretext for developing its own
nuclear weapons. Think about what consequences a potential nuclear arms race
would bring to the region as well as to the world. It's better for all countries
to stand firm against proliferation, speed up nuclear disarmaments and move
toward a nuclear-free world.
It is also nonsense for the GNP to call for a delay in the transfer of wartime
military command from the U.S. forces to the South Korean military. Seoul has to
faithfully implement the transfer agreement so that it can take over command in
April 2012 as scheduled. It's imperative to boost military capabilities to ensure
self-defense postures and further strengthen security alliance with the U.S. In
fact, the Lee Myung-bak government has only limited policy measures against North
Korea's threats of war. But this does not necessarily justify hardliners' growing
voices for dangerous and unrealistic options.
(END)