by Kyle Mizokami
American tactical nuclear weapons were stationed on the Korean Peninsula for much of the Cold War, on call and ready to repel a North Korean attack. Nuclear bombs, artillery shells and missile warheads were withdrawn from Korea in 1991. Now, as reports surface—and are later denied—of South Korean requests to return tactical nuclear weapons to U.S. bases in Korea, it’s a good time to reflect on the history of the weapons and why they were sent to the country in the first place.
The U.S. history of nuclear weapons and Korea dates back to the Korean War, when President Harry S. Truman debated using nuclear weapons to stanch the China’s Thanksgiving counteroffensive. The following spring, nine nuclear bombs were transferred to Okinawa, along with nuclear-capable B-29 bombers, in case the decision was made to use them. Truman went so far as to predelegate authority to use the bombs to Gen. Matthew Ridgway, commander of U.S. forces in Korea, but Ridgway declined to use them.
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http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/everything-you-need-know-the-history-us-nuclear-weapons-22224
