Kamala Harris did not approve South Korea nukes in presidential debate
- Published on September 25, 2024 at 04:11
- Updated on September 25, 2024 at 05:53
- 3 min read
- By Hailey JO, AFP South Korea
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"[Breaking news] South Korea developing its own nuclear capabilities declared during US presidential debate," read part of the Korean title of a YouTube video shared on September 14.
"Harris announces new approval for South Korea acquiring nukes."
The eight-minute video, which attracted more than 29,000 views, shows various clips from the US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
A woman narrating the video says the possibility of South Korea having nuclear weapons was brought up.
"It was a significant moment that proved South Korea acquiring nuclear weapons is not just an idea out of thin air but is being taken seriously even within the United States," she says in Korean.
"From South Korea's perspective, it is believed that a Harris win would be overwhelmingly favourable (to South Korea)."
The video circulated on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook as calls grew for South Korea to arm itself with nuclear weapons, faced with Pyongyang's ramped up weapons testing and bolstered military ties with Moscow.
Two in three South Koreans surveyed for a June poll by the state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification said they supported the country having nuclear weapons if the North does not give up its nuclear arsenal (archived link).
This level of support has remained consistent over the years.
'Complete denuclearisation'
South Korea was not mentioned in the September 10 presidential debate, according to a transcript from US broadcaster ABC News (archived link).
Supporting South Korean nukes would moreover be a departure from Harris's public position on the issue.
During a visit to the demilitarised zone that separates North and South Korea in September 2022, she said a "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" was Washington and Seoul's shared goal (archived link).
She added that US commitment to South Korea's defence was "ironclad".
Harris's campaign website suggests that position would not change if she became president, describing her "unwavering commitment to South Korea in the face of North Korean threats" (archived link).
Furthermore, the video shared online features a fabricated CNN article.
A screenshot at the 4:27 timestamp quotes Harris telling the US news channel: "We must consider the expansion of South Korea's nuclear umbrella from various angles and leave many possibilities open."
However, AFP found no trace of the article, which contains various grammatical errors, including referring to Harris as "he" and failing to capitalise her name.
A reverse image search on Google found Harris's photo in the screenshot was taken from a CBS interview that aired on December 26, 2021 (archived link).
According to the interview transcript, she was asked about the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy and foreign policy, but there was no discussion about South Korea or nuclear weapons.
This story was amended to specify that South Korean support for nuclear weapons has remained consistent over the years.September 25, 2024 This story was amended to specify that South Korean support for nuclear weapons has remained consistent over the years.
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