Seoul [South Korea], November 18 (ANI): North Korea on Tuesday warned that the United States’ approval of South Korea’s plan to build nuclear-powered submarines could trigger a “nuclear domino” effect in the region, according to Pyongyang state media cited by Yonhap.
North Korea criticized the joint fact sheet on trade and security agreements released by South Korea and the US on November 14, which followed two summits between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump—one at the White House in Washington, DC, in August, and another in Gyeongju last month ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The allies also issued a joint communique following their annual defense talks held in early November.
South Korea’s “possession of a nuclear submarine is a strategic move for ‘its own nuclear weaponization,’ and this is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race,” the KCNA reported, as cited by Yonhap.
North Korea also criticized US support for South Korea’s efforts to secure uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities, claiming it would provide “a springboard” for Seoul to develop into a “quasi-nuclear weapons state.” Seoul has pursued these capabilities to address energy security concerns and manage growing nuclear waste stockpiles—a move that would require revising the bilateral nuclear energy pact, South Korean media reported.
Earlier last month, the US and South Korea reached a broad trade deal that includes cutting reciprocal tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent, following Seoul’s commitment to invest USD 350 billion in the US, including USD 200 billion in cash investment and USD 150 billion in shipbuilding.
A White House readout released Thursday stated that the US had “given approval for the Republic of Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines… [and would] work closely to advance requirements for this project, including avenues to source fuel.”
Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, said the submarines would be constructed at a shipyard in Philadelphia operated by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha. “I have given them approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, rather than the old-fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel-powered submarines that they have now,” he wrote.
North Korea has displayed its own under-construction nuclear-powered submarine, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly proposed meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The two leaders previously held three high-profile summits during Trump’s first term. Kim has stated that North Korea remains open to talks with the US if Washington does not insist on denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue.
About The Author
