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South Korean Nuclear History

 A collection of primary source documents on South Korea's efforts to develop a domestic nuclear program for both energy and defense purposes in the 1970s.

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August 26, 1975

Memoranda of Conversations between James R. Schlesinger and Park Chung Hee and Suh Jyong-chul

Several memoranda of conversations between U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger and Park Chung Hee and other leading South Korean officials.

March 3, 1975

US National Security Council Memorandum, ROK Weapons Plans

American officials in Washington, D.C., conclude that South Korea is in the initial stages of developing a nuclear weapons program.

January 5, 1976

Cable, American Embassy Seoul to the Secretary of State, 'ROK Nuclear Reprocessing'

The American Ambassador to Korea voices his opinion that the U.S. can discourage the SOuth Korean nuclear program while avoiding confrontation and a "humiliating loss of face and prestige" for Park Chung Hee.

February 28, 1975

US National Security Council Memorandum, Development of US Policy toward South Korean Development of Nuclear Weapons

A memorandum produced for Henry Kissinger laying out U.S. policy towards the South Korean nuclear program.

October 31, 1975

Cable, American Embassy Seoul to the Secretary of State, 'ROKG Nuclear Reprocessing'

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul reports that the South Korean government continues to press forward on purchasing a French nuclear reprocessing plant.
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Bringing Seoul into the Non-Proliferation Regime

Se Young Jang challenges the common narrative that US pressure forced South Korea to ratify the NPT in 1975. Using new evidence from international archives, Jang finds that the decisive pressure came from a different country—Canada.

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Excavating South Korea’s Nuclear History

Diplomatic records and oral histories offer leads into South Korea's nuclear past, while other sources remain out of reach.

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The United States and South Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program, 1974-1976

President Park Chung-hee reportedly instructed South Korean scientists to build nuclear bombs by 1977, according to a secret report to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

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