Donate
South Korea
Nuclear-weapon endorser
Has not yet joined the TPNW
Summary
South Korea has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
South Korea has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
South Korea supports the retention and potential use of US nuclear weapons on its behalf, as indicated in various policy statements and rooted in the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty.
In June 2017, one week before the adoption of the TPNW, the then-US president, Donald Trump, and South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, issued a joint statement in which the United States reiterated its “commitment to provide extended deterrence to [South Korea], drawing on the full range of US military capabilities, both conventional and nuclear”.
Political developments
Ban Ki-moon, a former UN secretary-general and foreign minister of South Korea, was among 56 former leaders and ministers in US-allied states who co-signed an open letter in 2020 calling on current leaders to “show courage and boldness – and join the [TPNW]”.
TPNW negotiations
South Korea did not participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption. On the opening day of the negotiating conference, it joined the United States and several other states in protesting the treaty-making process.
In 2016, South Korea voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
Nuclear-weapon endorser
Has not yet joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
Summary
South Korea has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
South Korea has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
South Korea supports the retention and potential use of US nuclear weapons on its behalf, as indicated in various policy statements and rooted in the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty.
In June 2017, one week before the adoption of the TPNW, the then-US president, Donald Trump, and South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, issued a joint statement in which the United States reiterated its “commitment to provide extended deterrence to [South Korea], drawing on the full range of US military capabilities, both conventional and nuclear”.
Political developments
Ban Ki-moon, a former UN secretary-general and foreign minister of South Korea, was among 56 former leaders and ministers in US-allied states who co-signed an open letter in 2020 calling on current leaders to “show courage and boldness – and join the [TPNW]”.
TPNW negotiations
South Korea did not participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption. On the opening day of the negotiating conference, it joined the United States and several other states in protesting the treaty-making process.
In 2016, South Korea voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
[PARTNERS]
Korean Physicians for Peace - IPPNW
Peace Network and Civil Peace Forum
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK)
[LOCALSUPPORT]
No events yet