South Korea's request to the United States for enriched uranium to build its own nuclear submarines has drawn attention.

South Korea Seeks Enriched Uranium from the U.S., Aiming to Build Its Own Nuclear Submarine — Is "AUKUS 2.0" on the Horizon?

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), South Korea has made a request to the United States for enriched uranium and to revise its atomic energy agreement. The report links this move to Seoul's plan to develop a domestically built nuclear-powered submarine.

South Korea is seeking enriched uranium from the United States for military purposes. This information comes from an article by Choe Ju-hyeong (translated name), a North Korean international security commentator, published by KCNA.

The article states: “Seoul has raised issues regarding securing enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, as well as revising the ROK-U.S. Atomic Energy Agreement to gain rights to enrichment.”

The author connects these actions with Seoul’s apparent intention to construct its own nuclear-powered submarines. Additionally, he draws attention to statements by Japanese government officials suggesting the possibility of acquiring such submarines.

Pyongyang views this as evidence of the United States expanding the transfer of military nuclear technology to non-nuclear allies. The author believes this process indicates that what he calls the “AUKUS 2.0” concept is entering a phase of actual implementation.

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with one of its key objectives being the establishment of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876444540016648/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.