Hong Joon-pyo, former mayor of Daegu and a presidential contender from the conservative People Power Party, stressed his belief that South Korea should “fight nuclear with nuclear” Thursday, signaling strong support for South Korea’s nuclear armament in response to escalating threats from North Korea.

Hong said Thursday that he would work to let the United States Forces Korea deploy tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula, or to leave South Korea open to the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons.

Hong also said a renegotiation with the US over the use of South Korea's nuclear energy should take place to allow South Korea to reprocess used nuclear fuel.

Hong pledged to reward people who served in the military with benefits on the civil service exams. All able-bodied South Korean men should serve mandatory military service, while South Korean women may apply to become officers or noncommissioned officers.

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