South Korea’s Defense Posture against the North Korean Nuclear Threat: Dangerous Reluctance

Abstract

This paper examines South Korea’s defense preparedness against a possible North Korean nuclear attack. It applies three options of nuclear defense: preemptive attack against North Korean nuclear weapons and facilities, interception of airborne North Korean nuclear missiles, and civil defense to reduce casualties from a nuclear explosion. North Korea may have succeeded in developing about 10 nuclear weapons and making them small and light enough to be delivered by its ballistic missiles. It is imperative for South Korea to prepare defenses against a nuclear attack in the case its diplomatic efforts and deterrence measures fail. South Korea needs to be able to conduct a preemptive strike when a North Korean nuclear attack is imminent. It should also build up its ballistic missile defense systems in order to intercept any North Korean nuclear missiles that may survive a preemptive strike. Moreover, South Korea should prepare for its civil defense by constructing blast and/or fallout shelters to help more people survive a possible nuclear explosion.

Mythologizing the face mask: How protective covers became political during the fine-dust and COVID-19 crises in South Korea

“…Face masks have more widely been adopted when a contagious disease outbreak threatens the society. During the recent epidemic of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2015, for instance, it was a mass trend that people wore face masks in public areas such as schools even if the majority of infection occurred in hospitals treating infected patients (Park 2015).…”