“In 1972, South Korean President Park Chung-hee launched a clandestine military nuclear program called ‘Project 890,’ the existence of which was only discovered by Washington in late 1974. This was a period of high anxiety for Park, who had witnessed the murder of his wife by a pro-North Korean assassin in 1974 while also discovering several North Korean infiltration tunnels under the DMZ in 1974-75.”
The author discusses current public support in South Korea for a nuclear weapon. Her conclusion, in our opinion, relies on perhaps an excessive faith in Pyongyang: “The best way to deter a North Korean attack is through diplomacy and dialogue with Pyongyang. This is the only way to come to a peaceful solution, to have a chance at arms control in the North, and to get to a place where peaceful coexistence is possible.”
Source: South Korea’s First Attempt at Going Nuclear – The Diplomat