North Korea said on Tuesday that South Korea’s plan to build nuclear submarines with US approval would trigger a “nuclear domino” effect, saying the deal revealed the “true colors of the confrontational will” of the US and South Korea to “remain hostile” to North Korea.
The deal and a series of large-scale joint military exercises by the two countries posed serious security problems for the North and exacerbated regional tensions, North Korea said, state news agency KCNA reported.
North Korea’s accusations come after the South Korean government announced that it had finalized an agreement with the United States to build nuclear-powered submarines.
What is the deal between the US and South Korea?
On Friday, South Korea and the US jointly released details of a deal struck by President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump at their summit last month, which included a commitment to disarm the North’s nuclear arsenal, Reuters reported.
In a statement from the White House on Thursday, the US said it “has given approval to the Republic of Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines … (and will) work closely to enforce requirements for this project, including fueling methods.”
To date, only six countries possess nuclear-powered strategic submarines, which include: the US, China, Russia, the UK, France and India.
Why nuclear powered submarines?
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said the submarines are crucial to maintaining readiness against China’s naval forces and a potentially serious threat from the nuclear-armed North developing its own nuclear-powered submarines.
How did North Korea react?
North Korea has accused Seoul of secretly pursuing a “long-term ambition to possess nuclear weapons,” which is bound to trigger a “nuclear domino phenomenon” in the region and fuel an arms race.
South Korean presidential spokesman Kang Yu-jung said later Tuesday that Seoul has no hostile or confrontational intentions against the North and cooperation with the US is aimed at protecting its national security interests.
Hong Min, a North Korea expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the comment showed the North was unwilling to engage in dialogue with Washington until the US recognized it as a nuclear state.
Trump has said he is ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The pair met three times during the US president’s first term in an effort to reach a nuclear deal, but failed to reach an agreement.
(with input from agencies)
