Republic of Korea
South Korea boycotted the TPNW negotiations in 2017 and has not adhered to the Treaty. As an umbrella state it is not in compliance with all of the prohibitions in Article 1. South Korea may sign and ratify the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
| TPNW status |
|---|
| Not signed, not ratified, not acceded |
| Compatibility with prohibitions in TPNW Article 1(1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Art 1(1)(a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| Art 1(1)(e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Not compatible |
| Art 1(1)(f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| Art 1(1)(g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| Vote on negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Participated in treaty negotiations (% women) | No (N/A) |
| Vote on adoption of treaty text | N/A |
| Last vote on UNGA resolution | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Fissile material production facilities | No |
| Highly enriched uranium stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks (military/civilian) | No/No |
| Related treaties and regimes | |
|---|---|
| Party to the NPT | Yes |
| Party to a NWFZ | No |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the PTBT | Yes |
| Member of the CD | Yes |
| IAEA CSA in force | Yes |
| IAEA AP in force | Yes |
| Party to the CWC | Yes |
| Party to the BWC | Yes |
Latest developments
South Korea voted against the UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In the words of the South Korean delegation to the 2018 NPT Preparatory Committee, the TPNW, 'crafted without the participation of nuclear-weapon states cannot but bear intrinsic limitation.' Ban Ki-moon, a former foreign minister of South Korea and a former UN secretary-general, was among the signatories to an open letter in September 2020 calling on current leaders in umbrella states to 'show courage and boldness' and join the TPNW. See: bit.ly/2mqPAyq, bit.ly/2TwCaOp.
Recommendations
- South Korea should ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its national defence plans and security policies. It should renounce the retention and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, for instance through a declaratory statement, and refrain from endorsing future alliance statements in support of weapons of mass destruction.
- South Korea should urgently sign and ratify the TPNW, and encourage other states to adhere to the Treaty. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable contribution to the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, attend its meetings of states parties as an observer, and work with its states parties on practical steps towards disarmament.