Efforts to stay warm run up against fuel scarcity, while traditional coal briquettes can lead to poisoning deaths
North Korean threats and anxiety about US extended deterrence have led ROK to flirt with developing nukes since 1970s
Former secretary of state stresses hardline approach as potential presidential candidates stake out positions on DPRK
Nuclear weapons would help Seoul deter North Korea but could invite devastating sanctions and undermine US-ROK alliance
The US and South Korea have no interest in invading a non-nuclear DPRK, but Kim would still clamp down on his own people
DPRK has yet to test an array of desired capabilities, while the succession question remains publicly unresolved
Decision could put pressure on DPRK to relax its own border controls, though it has yet to indicate it will do so
Some South Koreans fear Tokyo could carry out strikes against DPRK without consulting Seoul
Some foresee Russia’s invasion ending with an agreement like the one that solidified the division of the peninsula
The US has often had to talk the South out of retaliating over the decades, a risk that has returned as tensions grow
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