According to Yonhap News Agency, on the evening of November 14, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement to jointly promote the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea. Unlike former U.S. President Trump's statement that the submarine would be built in the United States, the South Korean side said on the same day that the South Korea-U.S. talks were based on the premise of "building a nuclear submarine in South Korea." The details about the construction location, construction method, and other aspects of the submarine project remain unknown.

On the same day, Yoon Suk-yeol held a press conference at the Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul to announce the "Joint Situation Statement" on the results of the tariff and security consultations between South Korea and the United States. According to the content of the document, the United States has officially approved South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine and expressed support for South Korea's efforts to obtain uranium enrichment and nuclear waste reprocessing capabilities.

Yoon Suk-yeol stated that the government successfully obtained support from the U.S. government regarding the South Korean government's acquisition of uranium enrichment rights and the expansion of its rights to process spent nuclear fuel. The South Korea and the United States agreed to continue optimizing relevant systems in the future, aiming not only for U.S. commercial ships but also for U.S. naval vessels to be built in South Korea.

Yoon Suk-yeol said that the U.S. reiterated its commitment to continue stationing troops in South Korea and provide "extended deterrence" to South Korea, while South Korea expressed its determination to strengthen defense forces and reclaim the "wartime operational command authority" to take the lead in defending the Korean Peninsula, which the U.S. acknowledged and supported.

On the same day, Kim Tae-hyo, Director of the National Security Office of South Korea, stated that the leaders of South Korea and the United States have consistently discussed the issue with the premise of "building a nuclear submarine in South Korea," without mentioning the option of building a nuclear submarine in the United States. He emphasized that cooperation with the U.S. is needed in the construction work, but the entire nuclear submarine construction work will be carried out in South Korea.

On the evening of November 14, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol introduced the "Joint Situation Statement" during a press conference. Yonhap News Agency

It was reported that the "Joint Situation Statement" is the first high-level bilateral official document between South Korea and the United States since the Yoon Suk-yeol government took office in June, containing a series of agreements in the fields of trade and security. It states: "According to the Republic of Korea-U.S. Atomic Energy Agreement (123 Agreement), and in accordance with U.S. legal requirements, the United States supports South Korea's initiatives to carry out civilian uranium enrichment and nuclear waste reprocessing for peaceful purposes."

The document also mentions: "The United States has approved South Korea's construction of an attack nuclear submarine."

The "123 Agreement" is named after Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. According to this agreement, South Korea must obtain U.S. approval to produce low-enriched uranium with a concentration below 20%, and cannot conduct post-processing of nuclear fuel. South Korea has long sought to revise this agreement to gain the right to enrich uranium and recycle nuclear waste, thereby addressing energy security concerns and the growing problem of nuclear waste stockpiles.

Observers say that in order to acquire and operate a nuclear-powered submarine, South Korea and the United States may need to revise this agreement or establish a separate arrangement. According to reports, South Korea plans to deploy four or more 5,000-ton attack nuclear submarines around 2035.

The document also mentions "modernization of the alliance," with South Korea deciding to increase defense spending to 3.5% of its GDP and invest $25 billion by 2030 to purchase U.S.-made military equipment. Both sides reached a consensus on the continued presence of U.S. troops in South Korea and the provision of defense support. For this purpose, the two country leaders agreed to enhance cooperation through consultation mechanisms such as the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), and the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to mobilize all available resources to provide extended deterrence to South Korea.

In addition, the document states that South Korea decided to provide a package of $3.3 billion in subsidies to U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and continue to strengthen cooperation at the alliance level to advance the transfer of wartime operational command authority. South Korea and the United States also agreed to strengthen the conventional deterrent posture of the United States against all regional threats faced by both countries. The report points out that this statement highlights the U.S. intention to urge South Korea to contribute to "containing China."

On November 18, 2024, the U.S. nuclear submarine "Columbia" entered the Busan Combat Base. Yonhap News Agency

On the evening of October 29, Trump met with Yoon Suk-yeol in Gyeongju. During the meeting, Yoon requested the U.S. to provide nuclear fuel required for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, to enhance the combat capability of South Korean submarines. He also claimed that diesel-electric submarines have limited underwater endurance, thus "there are limitations in tracking Chinese or North Korean submarines."

On October 30, Trump posted that the U.S. would share nuclear propulsion technology with South Korea to help the South Korean Navy build at least one nuclear-powered submarine. He said, "South Korea will build its nuclear-powered submarine, right here in the United States! Our shipbuilding industry is about to experience a strong recovery. Stay tuned!"

Yonhap News Agency stated that this is the first time the South Korean government has officially announced its intention to introduce a nuclear-powered submarine. The U.S. had previously shared nuclear propulsion technology only with the United Kingdom and Australia. The most recent instance was in 2021 under the AUKUS framework, where the U.S. and the UK shared the technology with Australia to assist in building a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines.

At that time, Trump said that the submarine would be built at Hanwha Philadelphia Shipyard. This shipyard originally occupied the site of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which was acquired by Hanwha Group in December 2024. The facility is currently a purely commercial establishment and does not yet have the conditions to handle nuclear materials or construct military ships.

It remains unclear about the scale or cost of the submarine project, but the South Korean side mentioned in the meeting with Trump that it has committed to investing $150 billion for the development of U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

Hanwha Philadelphia Shipyard, Yonhap News Agency

Regarding the discussion between South Korea and the United States on nuclear-powered submarines, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiancong stated on October 30 that China has taken note of the situation. China hopes that the South Korean and U.S. sides will fulfill their nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do things that promote regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite.

According to the website of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, on November 13, Ambassador Dai Bing held a座谈 with more than 30 Chinese and South Korean mainstream media journalists to exchange views on issues of concern to Chinese and South Korean journalists.

Yonhap News Agency reported that Dai stated that China has expressed concerns about the South Korea-U.S. nuclear submarine cooperation and hopes that South Korea will carefully handle the matter. China and South Korea are communicating through diplomatic channels on the nuclear submarine issue, and China has expressed its concerns to South Korea on the issue.

Dai pointed out that the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region remains complex and sensitive. The South Korea-U.S. nuclear submarine cooperation goes beyond commercial cooperation and is related to the global nuclear non-proliferation system and the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region. He hopes that South Korea will fully consider the concerns of all parties and carefully handle the matter.

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