90: US Greenlights ROK Enrichment, Raising Proliferation Fears Guest: Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center The US agreement to support the Republic of So

US Greenlights ROK Enrichment, Raising Proliferation Fears Guest: Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center The US agreement to support the Republic of South Korea's civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses is viewed by Sokolski as a movement toward proliferation. Sokolski notes that this decision greenlights the ROK—a treaty ally with a history of attempting to use its civil programs to make nuclear weapons—to a position similar to Iran's. The ROK successfully leveraged the inconsistency of US policy, pointing out that Japan has permission to enrich and reprocess fuel and possesses a massive plutonium stockpile. Granting the ROK these capabilities sets a concerning precedent, potentially compelling the US to allow other countries like Saudi Arabia to seek similar nuclear options. The proliferation concern is heightened further by the ROK's desire for a nuclear-powered submarine, which could lead to pursuit of a full nuclear weapons triad. 1958