RESPON KOREA SELATAN TERHADAP ANCAMAN UJI COBA NUKLIR KOREA UTARA MELALUI REVITALISASI THREE AXIS DEFENSE SYSTEM

This study analyzes South Korea's response under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to the escalating threat of North Korea's nuclear tests in 2022 through the revitalization of the Three Axis Defense System (TADS). TADS is a layered defense strategy comprising the Kill Chain (pre-emptive strike), Korea Air and Missile Defense - KAMD (missile defense), and Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation - KMPR (massive retaliation). Utilizing defensive realism theory as an analytical framework, this research seeks to understand the rationale behind South Korea's choice of a firm defensive posture, manifested in strengthening independent military capabilities and vertically integrating its alliance with the United States. This explanatory qualitative research employs a literature study method, drawing on secondary sources such as defense white papers, academic journals, and policy analyses. The findings indicate that the revitalization of TADS serves as a form of balancing of power and a self-help mechanism for South Korea within the anarchic international system to maximize its national security (security maximizer). This move is a rational response to the security dilemma posed by North Korea's nuclear provocations, aiming to establish credible deterrence. Therefore, this study concludes that South Korea's defensively realist stance reflects a strategic effort to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity without resorting to first-strike aggression.