Victor Cha Urges Nuclear Test Ban, Says South Korea Needs No Bomb Despite North Korea's 57 Warheads
Updated
Updated · asiae.co.kr · Aug 20
Victor Cha Urges Nuclear Test Ban, Says South Korea Needs No Bomb Despite North Korea's 57 Warheads
1 articles · Updated · asiae.co.kr · Aug 20
Summary
Victor Cha said any revived U.S.-North Korea summit should start with a formal ban on nuclear and ICBM tests, not an immediate push for full denuclearization.
57 warheads cited by President Donald Trump underscore why Cha sees threat reduction as the practical near-term goal, followed later by arms-control steps such as capping fissile material and separating warheads from missiles.
South Korea, he argued, still does not need its own nuclear weapons even if Washington shifts to managing rather than eliminating Pyongyang's arsenal; instead, Seoul should strengthen conventional forces and intelligence and satellite capabilities.
Kim Jong Un is unlikely to rush into talks, Cha said, and may wait until after the November U.S. midterm elections while using harsh rhetoric from Kim Yo Jong to signal there is no urgency.
Any deal could sideline Seoul because North Korea will try to exclude it from negotiations, though Cha said the broader aim for Washington remains lowering risks to the United States and its allies.