South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol recently stated his country might pursue its own nuclear weapons if North Korean threats increase, and while he walked this comment back, the implicit proliferation threat — made by a U.S. ally protected by Washington’s nuclear umbrella — generated some interesting reactions.

The dominant reaction was surprise. Here was the head of state explicitly saying that South Korea might develop the bomb, and that it wouldn’t be too difficult. Many have noted, accurately, that loose talk of developing nuclear weapons is counterproductive to U.S.-ROK alliance coordination, and that trying