In a sign of a new geopolitical equation in the Asia-Pacific region, US President Donald Trump has approved South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines. Trump made the decision during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the city of Gyeongju on Wednesday. The meeting was held before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
An adviser to Lee Jae-myung said that significant progress has been made on a major investment and shipbuilding deal between the two countries. Trump also said that the deal is now in the final stages.
On his social media account Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I have approved South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines to replace their old diesel-powered, slow submarines.” In another post, he added, “These submarines will be built in the Philadelphia Shipyard in the United States—in our own country.” He claimed that this is a new renaissance in the US shipbuilding industry.
Although South Korea is a world leader in shipbuilding, Trump did not elaborate on where the propulsion technology needed to operate nuclear submarines would come from. The US, UK and Australia are currently working together on the ‘AUKUS’ project, through which Australia is receiving nuclear submarine technology from the US. The US had previously shared this technology only with the UK, and that too in the 1950s.
At the meeting, President Lee Jae-myung urged Trump to decide on the fuel supply for nuclear submarines. “We do not want nuclear weapons, but nuclear-powered submarines,” he said. “The limited durability of diesel-powered submarines is hindering our ability to monitor the movements of North Korea and China.”
Previous South Korean governments have also shown interest in the nuclear submarine project, but the US has always opposed it. Therefore, Trump’s approval is seen as a major shift in Washington’s policy stance.
The presidential office in Seoul said the dessert at the luncheon after the meeting had the word “PEACE!” written on it—a symbol of the two leaders’ first meeting, and a message of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Tensions in the region have reached a fever pitch as North Korea has recently stepped up military cooperation with Russia. Trump said he was unable to meet Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea, seemingly ending speculation about a possible summit.
However, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, warned that “if South Korea starts building such submarines, it would pose a challenge to global security and non-proliferation policies.” He added, “These submarines typically use highly enriched uranium, which requires strict safeguards from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
In his opinion, if the United States is truly committed to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, then the proposal to transfer such technology to allied countries should be strongly resisted.
Source: CNN.