South Korea

Country Spotlight

Since the Korean War, South Korea has maintained a bilateral security alliance with the United States which includes extended nuclear deterrence and cooperation on missile defense. After abandoning its nuclear weapons development in the 1970s, South Korea has sought to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula diplomatically.

Region East Asia and the Pacific

27% Country’s electricity supplied by nuclear energy

~3,000 Metric tons of chemical warfare agents eliminated

800 km Former ballistic missile range limit imposed by U.S.; now unlimited

Nuclear

Abandoned nuclear weapons ambitions after U.S. pressure in the 1970s
Signed Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in 1992
Major supplier of civilian nuclear expertise and technology

South Korea Nuclear Overview

South Korea Nuclear Facilities

Fact Sheet

South Korea Nuclear Facilities

Overview of The CNS Global Incidents and Trafficking Database

Database

Overview of The CNS Global Incidents and Trafficking Database

Biological

Committed to defensive research and development against biological weapons
Rapid infrastructural response to public health emergencies
Had a 5-year collaboration with the US to train for biological outbreaks

Tutorial on Biological Weapons Nonproliferation

Teaching Tool

Tutorial on Biological Weapons Nonproliferation

South Korea Overview

Fact Sheet

South Korea Overview

Missile

Possesses ballistic and cruise missile development programs
U.S.-imposed ballistic missile range restrictions lifted in 2021
Only non-nuclear weapon state with submarine-launched ballistic missiles

South Korea Missile Overview

Overview of The CNS Missile and SLV Launch Databases

Database

Overview of The CNS Missile and SLV Launch Databases

Tutorial on Missiles and Other WMD Delivery Systems

Teaching Tool

Tutorial on Missiles and Other WMD Delivery Systems

Chemical

No public acknowledgement of Cold War-era chemical weapons program
Member of the Australia Group (AG) for chemical and biological strategic trade
Second Chemical Weapons Convention member to eliminate entire stockpile

Tutorial on Chemical Weapons Nonproliferation

Teaching Tool

Tutorial on Chemical Weapons Nonproliferation

NTI Tutorials

Interactive & Visualization

NTI Tutorials

Treaties and Regimes Memberships

See all Treaties & Regimes

NPT

The NPT is a treaty aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons through the three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

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Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosion tests on Earth. It needs eight key countries to ratify before entry into force.

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Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

The BTWC mandates the elimination of existing biological weapons and prohibits developing, stockpiling, or using biological and toxin weapons.

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Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) requires countries to destroy all chemical weapons and prohibits developing, stockpiling, or using chemical weapons.

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Analysis

South Korea

Eric Brewer on “South Korea’s Nuclear Flirtations”

Opinion Feb 13, 2023

Eric Brewer on “South Korea’s Nuclear Flirtations”

Eric Brewer, deputy vice president for NTI’s Nuclear Materials Security Program, co-authored a piece for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace titled “South Korea’s Nuclear Flirtations Highlight the Growing Risks of Allied Proliferation.”