By Sanxuan

The ambition of South Korea is no longer hidden.

On Wednesday local time, the presidents of the United States and South Korea held a meeting. They discussed many topics, including a $350 billion investment agreement with the US, "making the US shipbuilding industry great again," etc.

The crown was too eye-catching

These were all pre-arranged and nothing new. However, one topic has attracted attention from the outside world, especially neighboring countries, that is, Lee Jae-myung requested Trump to provide nuclear fuel to South Korea to increase the power of its nuclear submarines.

Lee Jae-myung explained that South Korea's nuclear submarines are not intended to be equipped with nuclear weapons, only conventional weapons. However, even so, diesel-electric power is not enough. If they want to better track the submarines of China and North Korea, they need nuclear fuel. Once South Korea's nuclear submarine power is increased, it can also save a lot of trouble for the US forces stationed in South Korea.

Trump did not directly respond to his request, but said he would help South Korea strengthen its defense capabilities, telling him not to worry, and that the US would handle everything well.

However, according to a statement released by South Korea after the meeting, Trump seemed not to oppose South Korea's ability to have nuclear submarines, and agreed to continue discussing the issue later.

American nuclear submarine docked at the South Korean coast

Lee Jae-myung also stated that Trump had agreed to revise the South Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement. According to this agreement, South Korea cannot independently conduct uranium enrichment activities with a concentration below 20% unless it gets US approval.

This agreement was signed in the 1970s and will expire in 2035. The original intention of the US was to promote denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and restrict South Korea from developing nuclear weapons. But after North Korea developed nuclear weapons, the US' determination to limit South Korea from possessing nuclear weapons is gradually weakening.

At the beginning of this year, the US also lowered the level of restrictions on South Korean researchers working in the nuclear field. In addition, North Korea clearly refused to give up its nuclear weapons, so it's not strange for Trump to show some flexibility.

It is worth noting that South Korea's ambition to possess nuclear weapons, even the South Korean media said that the president publicly requesting the US to provide nuclear fuel is quite rare. Considering that Lee Jae-myung asked for nuclear fuel instead of nuclear technology, it's even more thought-provoking, which indicates that South Korea has made achievements in nuclear technology and does not need the help of the US.

A nuclear power plant in Ulsan, South Korea

According to military insiders, South Korea has completely mastered submarine technology, and research in the field of nuclear reactors has made significant breakthroughs, and mastering nuclear submarine technology is just a matter of time. However, in order to use nuclear technology for military purposes, it must get the approval of the US.

More unusual is that South Korea's military actions have always been aimed at North Korea, but when Lee Jae-myung asked Trump to loosen the restrictions, he mentioned China for the first time, which he previously avoided conflicts with.

South Korean media analysis said that this shows that Lee Jae-myung is willing to violate previous commitments to obtain nuclear fuel, and is willing to join the US' circle of confrontation against China, thus obtaining higher-level security guarantees.

US military base in South Korea

Certainly, Lee Jae-myung will not admit it. When asked whether he wanted to follow the US to counter China, the South Korean side responded that the president's meaning was not specifically targeting China or North Korea, but to deal with all submarines appearing in the waters of China and North Korea. Compared with other weapons, submarines are harder to track, and in order to protect national security, South Korea needs to strengthen its defense.

No matter how the South Korean side explains, it cannot change their attempt to possess nuclear weapons and their ambitions against China. Lee Jae-myung previously vowed to improve the Sino-Korean relations destroyed by the previous government, but now it seems that he is no different from Yoon Suk-yeol.



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566839445937308179/

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