[Column] No, tactical nukes aren’t practical for real-world use

In a recent statement, Cho Yong-sool, a spokesperson for the People Power Party, has criticized the US plan to provide tactical nuclear weapons to its allies, citing President Lee Jae Myung's opposition. Cho argued that the US should reconsider offering such weapons to Korea, as it used to have them in the past. The move to remove tactical nuclear weapons from Korea was a part of the US' revised global strategy, with the last deployment of such weapons occurring in 1991 under President George H. Bush.

Despite the US' current military doctrine assuming the use of tactical nuclear weapons being dropped by aircraft, experts argue that the strategic advantages and disadvantages of these weapons make their deployment in Korea highly unlikely. The primary target of such weapons would be North Korea, but the geopolitical consequences for China and Russia would be significant.

Furthermore, the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Seoul, a densely populated city, would have devastating effects, with a simulation by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency predicting around 2.75 million casualties, including 1.13 million deaths.