For decades, the idea that the U.S. would risk war against North Korea to defend South Korea was a given in international politics. But in recent years, Seoul has had reasons to think this is changing.

President Trump has long made clear that he hopes to extinguish U.S.-North Korean tensions, even if it means accepting Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. More broadly, Washington has recentered its foreign policy on competing with rival great powers. China comes now front and center among security priorities, leaving many in Seoul pondering whether America has bandwidth left for the North Korean threat.

Washington faces a quandary on the Korean Peninsula. On the one hand, it needs a strong South Korean ally to hold the line against China. On the other, it wants amicable relations with Pyongyang in order to devote its energy to the Chinese threat. The United States needs a solution that both guarantees South Korean security and allows a rapprochement with North Korea.

Fortunately, such a solution exists. A growing debate over a potential national nuclear deterrent has taken hold in South Korea. The ever-growing strength of North Korea’s arsenal, combined with disillusion about the likelihood of denuclearization, is the prime driver. Other concerns, such as doubts about U.S. commitment, the country’s rapid demographic decline and the rise of China, further encourage the nuclear option.

A South Korean nuclear deterrent would promote the current administration’s foreign policy priorities. A stronger and more autonomous Seoul could finally take ownership of Peninsular security, allowing Washington to focus on the Chinese threat and the issue........

© The Hill