South Korea’s nuclear ambition holds a place in the national consciousness

It might seem illogical to the rest of the world, but a sense of vulnerability has a pervasive pull on policy

Living in Seoul, you hear it often enough: “Korea was invaded more than a thousand times”. Depending on who you talk to, the number changes. I’ve personally heard “300”, the very precise “993 times of which 720 times was Japan”, the nonchalant “around 1000”, the exaggerated “3000”, and the catch-all, “more than any other country”. You could debate the facts, but you’d be missing the point. The truth of the matter is irrelevant. What matters is how such beliefs add to a sense of suspicion and vulnerability ­– the belief that Korea is a small, vulnerable country, surrounded by larger predatory states. This sense of vulnerability is part of Korea’s national consciousness - and it contributes to the push for nuclear weapons.

You read that right. A nuclear armed SOUTH Korea. Not the North. The country that sits below the 38th parallel.

To understand this sense, it’s important to appreciate “national consciousness” as the awareness of a shared identity. The sense that geography, history, cult…