South Korea Set to Become the 7th Nuclear Submarine Power
Trump Grants Approval; Technology Not Shared Even with Allies
Described as "Payment," Not "Up Front" $350 Billion
On October 30, the day after the South Korea-United States summit, U.S. President Donald Trump approved South Korea’s construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, making South Korea the seventh country in the world to possess and operate such a vessel. This submarine will be built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which was acquired by Hanwha Ocean. The possession of a nuclear submarine by South Korea is regarded as having strategic significance, not only strengthening military capabilities but also enhancing deterrence against North Korea’s underwater provocations and reinforcing maritime sovereignty.
On his social networking service, Truth Social, President Trump stated, “The South Korea-U.S. military alliance is stronger than ever,” and added, “Based on this, I have approved South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine instead of outdated diesel submarines.”
This was in response to President Lee’s request during the summit the previous day, asking the U.S. to make a decisive move to supply fuel for nuclear-powered submarines. This is interpreted as a strategic decision to counter military threats from North Korea and China. Developing and operating a nuclear submarine requires securing a small reactor and enriched uranium fuel, which is impossible without U.S. consent. Accordingly, follow-up discussions to revise the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement are expected to begin in earnest.
The Associated Press pointed out that President Trump’s decision involves providing technology that had not even been shared with closest allies such as the United Kingdom, and noted that U.S. nuclear submarine technology is among the most sensitive and tightly protected technologies possessed by the U.S. military.
This submarine is scheduled to be built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, a symbolic site of South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation. President Trump said, “South Korea will build its nuclear-powered submarine right here at the outstanding Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,” and added, “The U.S. shipbuilding industry will soon experience a big comeback.” The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was acquired by Hanwha Ocean in June of last year. In August, Hanwha announced an additional investment of 5 billion dollars (approximately 7 trillion won) in the shipyard as part of the MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) project.
President Trump also stated, “South Korea has agreed to pay 350 billion dollars to the United States in exchange for a reduction in U.S.-imposed tariffs.” However, he did not specifically mention his earlier comments about a “350 billion dollars up front” payment related to South Korean investment in the U.S.
Regarding the scale of South Korean companies’ investment in the U.S., President Trump emphasized, “South Korea has agreed to make large purchases of American oil and gas, and the amount that wealthy South Korean companies and businesspeople will invest in the United States will exceed 600 billion dollars.”
At the end of his message, he shared his impression of his visit to South Korea, saying, “It was a wonderful trip with a wonderful president (Lee Jaemyung).” During this process, there was a brief incident where President Trump mistakenly referred to President Lee Jaemyung as “a great Prime Minister,” but this was quickly corrected.
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