Cheong Seong-chang, director of the think tank Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute / Courtesy of Cheong Seong-chang

North Korea expert Cheong Seong-chang's book "Why We Should Become a Nuclear Power," now has a Japanese translation.

The Korean edition was published in August 2023 and ignited debate over South Korea's nuclear option. Cheong, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute and a strong advocate of South Korea's own nuclear armament, explained that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump's vying for a second presidential term have broken the taboo of discussing nuclear armament in Japan.

"I hope my book will be able to bring up active discussion in Japan about having its own nuclear weapons. South Korea and Japan are surrounded by several nuclear-armed neighbors and depend on U.S. extended deterrence rather than their own nuclear deterrent," he said.

Some are worried that Trump's return to the White House may lead to a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia, beginning in South Korea and leading to Japan and even possibly to Taiwan.

Japanese edition of Cheong Seong-chang's "Why We Should Become a Nuclear Power" / Courtesy of Cheong Seong-chang

In the book, Cheong argues that any diplomatic effort to convince North Korea to give up nuclear weapons development will fail as has been seen over the past several decades. The only way to achieve it is for South Korea to build its own.

Cheong said it's irresponsible to demand South Korea and Japan to remain as non-nuclear powers when North Korea and China are expanding their nuclear weapons capabilities.

"If advocates of nuclear non-proliferation do not want South Korea and Japan to seek nuclear armament, they must first strongly condemn and prevent North Korea and China's exponential increase in production of nuclear weapons," he said.

"The simultaneous nuclear armament of South Korea and Japan will not trigger a nuclear domino effect in Northeast Asia. On the contrary, it will contribute to world peace by balancing the nuclear dynamics in the region. It will reduce the risk of war in the Korean Peninsula and potential conflicts in Northeast Asia."