Prime Minister Chung Hong-won voiced opposition Thursday to ideas of redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here to deter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“The (South Korean) government remains committed to maintaining the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Chung said during a parliamentary interpellation session.

“While not pursuing independent nuclear sovereignty, I think (South Korea) can deter (the North’s) nuclear programs by managing the extended deterrence provided by the United States,” Chung added.

North Korea’s third nuclear test on Feb. 12 ignited the fierce debate on whether Seoul should give up its denuclearization policy and build up its own nuclear deterrent capabilities, with growing numbers of conservative politicians and scholars here calling for South Korea’s nuclear armament.

The U.S. had deployed tactical nuclear weapons from 1957 onwards in the form of artillery shells and short-range missiles, with total numbers reaching around 700. This arsenal has all since been withdrawn from the country.

Asked about the nature of the North’s nuclear test, Chung said the government has yet to confirm whether Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test with either plutonium or uranium, citing technical problems.

Pyongyang reportedly used plutonium as fissile material for its first and second nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, but it has yet to be known if the North used plutonium or uranium in its latest detonation. The North is known to have the capability to make nuclear weapons using enriched uranium.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin also told lawmakers that the North “does not appear to be able to produce miniaturized nuclear weapons and missiles to carry them,” though it has been “ready to fire mid-range missiles with its own launchers.”

“We are working on how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear programs by devising two concepts. One is making tailored measures in case of its firing of nuclear missiles, and the other is how to detect, control and target its nuclear weapons. We are developing extended range interceptors,” Kim said. (Yonhap News)