A prominent South Korean politician is calling for the country to arm itself with nuclear weapons amid increasing tensions with their northern neighbor.

Na Kyung-won, a Korean politician and touted as a frontrunner to lead the country's official opposition, proposed that her country "make preparations to develop nuclear weapons in a short period of time right now".

In a Facebook post Kyung-won outlined why she believes the country should abandon its historic policy of non-proliferation.

"The history of international society shows that only 'countries with the power' to suppress external threats have survived," Na's post read. "This is why we should think about nuclear weapons with all possibilities open now."

Na went on to outline her proposal, which she said would be driven by "international sanity," and rely on "cooperation between Korea and the U.S."

"We will make preparations to develop nuclear weapons in a short period of time right now," Na said. "I will not just stop with words, but with actions."

Na will stand for election as the leader of the People Power Party at the party convention on July 23.

In 1975, South Korea joined the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which prohibits signatory states from developing nuclear weapons.

While it has continued to engage in nuclear research programs since that time, the country has maintained an official policy of non-proliferation.

However, Kim Jong Un has continually tried to develop an offensive nuclear capability in the face of international condemnation, prompting a reconsideration of South Korea's position.

In 2023, incumbent President Yoon Suk-Yeol suggested that the country could acquire its own nuclear arsenal if the situation with North Korea did not improve.

In April 2023, the U.S. agreed to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea, in exchange for the country abandoning plans to develop its own nuclear weapons.

The latest threats by the opposition come during a period heightened tensions between the two states, as well as several altercations along their border.

Last week, North Korean state media reported that the regime had "successfully" launched an advanced ballistic missile armed with a "super-large warhead."

According to the South Korean military, one of the missiles flew "abnormally," and likely landed near the nation's capital of Pyongyang.

In late June, similarly, a hypersonic missile fired by North Korea exploded mid-flight over the sea of Japan.

In mid-June, satellite imagery showed several zones in the demilitarized zone along the Korean border where North Korea has cleared large strips of land to construct what appears to be a wall.

North Korean soldiers have also been crossing the inter-Korean border over the past few weeks, prompting warning shots to be fired by South Korean troops.

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