Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party (Yonhap) Main opposition People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday called for discussions on deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea, saying that the threat posed by North Korea has fundamentally changed. In a Facebook post, Ahn said that the time has come to discuss the deployment and possession of tactical nuclear weapons. He pointed to the evolving security landscape on the Korean Peninsula and the threat posed by the North, which he said has reached a level not seen in the past.Ahn said that he had previously opposed nuclear weapons in the South, but has since changed his position, saying, "Fighting nukes without nukes is a chimera.""North Korea has stepped up localized conflicts by increasing landmines, barbed-wire fences and tactical roads around the Demilitarized Zone," he said.Ahn said that South Korea needs to make Kim fear that he could face nuclear retaliation."We must instill fear into Kim Jong-un's mind that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, we can retaliate with nuclear (weapons)," Ahn wrote.He added that such fear would also initiate dialogue with the North, something that the Lee Jae Myung administration has been seeking.Ahn said that the security landscape around the Korean Peninsula has been reshaped. He made note of several military activities, including North Korea sending troops to Russia, which gave the North practical experience with modern warfare using drones as well as access to modern military technology. He also pointed to reports that the US could redeploy Patriot missile systems from South Korea to the Middle East, as well as concerns over a capability gap in US forces stationed in Korea, following the redeployment in March of the US' 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa to the Middle East. "Even Japan, the only nation to suffer atomic bombings, is reevaluating the ban on bringing nuclear weapons into the country," Ahn said. "As the nuclear order in Northeast Asia enters a new phase, it is time for us to break the taboo as well."Ahn also said that a complete denuclearization of the North is unlikely, and cited Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, who at the US Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium on Aug. 5 argued for the need for rational low-yield tactical nuclear weapons, to back his position.