South Korean Nominee Warns of U.S. Potential Nuclear Strike Upon North Korea

The individual suggested as the next director of South Korea’s intelligence agency expressed the belief that the United States might deploy nuclear weapons against North Korea if Pyongyang launched a nuclear attack on South Korea. This statement was made during a nomination hearing, in response to questions about the likelihood of U.S. military intervention even if North Korea possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He emphasized that his view aligns with the strong security alliance between South Korea and the U.S., and he indicated that a North Korean nuclear assault could provoke a nuclear response from Washington.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects military factories, urging increased shell production in North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting military factories, calling for increased shell production to prepare for modern warfare, at an undisclosed location in North Korea, June 13, 2025.

North Korea has a longstanding nuclear program, and while it has not conducted tests involving missile-mounted nuclear devices, it has accumulated fissile materials necessary for atomic weapons.