South Korean public support for nuclear armament: Evidence from survey data

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• GGP: Global Governance Programme

Join Soon-Ok Shin, Sangsin Lee, and Yoon Kwang-Il as they present new survey-based insights on South Korean public opinion and the potential for nuclear armament.

In April 2025, former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached on charges of attempting an insurrection. Shortly after his election in 2022, he publicly remarked that South Korea could develop nuclear weapons, an assertion that naturally drew international attention. Since then, numerous studies and media reports have suggested that South Korean public opinion is strongly supportive of indigenous nuclear development. But is it truly the case that a majority of ordinary South Koreans support nuclear armament? If so, what are the underlying reasons? And how likely is it that such public sentiment will translate into actual nuclear weapons development?

This presentation seeks to answer these questions by analysing data from the KINU Unification Survey, an annual public opinion programme conducted by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).

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