WASHINGTON: Against the backdrop of increased missile tests by North Korea, a US nuclear-capable submarine made its first visit to South Korea in over four decades, marking a display of power, according to a White House official on Tuesday.
With bilateral relations between North and South Korea at their lowest point, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasizing the need for weapons development, including tactical ones, tensions in the region have escalated. In response, Seoul and Washington have strengthened military cooperation by conducting joint military drills featuring advanced stealth jets and US strategic assets.
The two nations held the first Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting in the South Korean capital on Tuesday. The meeting aimed to enhance nuclear coordination and bolster combat readiness against North Korea.
Kurt Campbell, the White House Indo-Pacific coordinator, informed reporters after the meeting that an American nuclear submarine was making a port call in Busan, marking the first visit of an American nuclear submarine in decades.
US Deployment of Nuclear-Capable Submarine to South Korea
The last time the US deployed a nuclear-capable submarine to South Korea was in 1981. In April, Washington announced its intention to deploy a submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads to the Korean peninsula during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit, although a specific timeline was not provided.
During the NCG meeting, Kim Tae-hyo, the national security adviser who co-chaired the meeting with Campbell, stated that the US demonstrated strong resolve in responding with immediate, overwhelming, and decisive countermeasures that would lead to the demise of North Korea’s regime if the North were to attack the South with nuclear weapons.
North Korea has consistently opposed the presence of US nuclear assets in the region around the Korean peninsula. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, stated on Monday that such actions would only push the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) further away from the possibility of talks. She emphasized that North Korea was ready to counter any acts violating its sovereignty and dismissed talks with the United States as a “daydream.”
The visit of the US nuclear submarine to South Korea serves as a show of strength amidst escalating tensions in the region. The United States and South Korea are maintaining a strong stance to deter North Korea’s provocative actions and ensure the security of the South Korean peninsula.
