65% of S. Koreans support nuclear armament: poll

Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans support the idea of their country having its own nuclear weapons, a poll showed Friday. According to the Gallup Korea poll, 65 percent agreed that South Korea should possess nuclear weapons independently, while 30 percent opposed the idea. The survey was conducted on 1,001 South Koreans aged 18 and older from Tuesday to Thursday. By political affiliation, the figure stood at 78 percent among supporters of the main opposition People Power Party and 60 percent among supporters of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they believe North Korea could actually start a war, while 55 percent said they did not believe the North posed such a risk. Among those who said there was no risk, 58 percent still supported the idea of South Korea possessing its own nuclear weapons. Gallup said the finding suggests that a significant number of respondents may view nuclear weapons more as a strategic or self-defensive deterrent than as weapons for actual use. On the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of troops from Washington

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