In a significant development for regional security, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that the United States will share its closely guarded nuclear-powered submarine technology with South Korea. This announcement followed a meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, South Korea. During their discussions, President Lee emphasized the importance of modernizing the U.S.-South Korea alliance and highlighted plans to increase South Korea’s military spending to alleviate the financial burden on the U.S. Lee clarified that South Korea’s interest lies in acquiring nuclear fuel for submarines rather than nuclear weapons, addressing a potential misunderstanding from their previous talks in August. He further argued that equipping South Korea with nuclear-powered submarines would bolster U.S. strategic activities in the region. U.S. nuclear submarine technology is considered among the most sensitive and highly protected military assets, with the U.S. historically reluctant to share it even with close allies. Notably, a recent agreement to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear submarine technology did not involve direct knowledge transfer from the U.S. Trump’s announcement comes ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country already possesses nuclear submarines, and follows North Korea’s March unveiling of a nuclear-powered submarine under construction—a move that poses a significant security threat to both South Korea and the U.S. The Pentagon has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement. Meanwhile, North Korea’s recent successful cruise missile tests underscore its growing military capabilities, adding to the region’s escalating tensions.
US will share tech to let South Korea build a nuclear-powered submarine, Trump says
