North Korea has warned that U.S. approval for the South to build a nuclear-powered submarine will set off a nuclear weapon “domino” effect and trigger a “hot” arms race.
Why It Matters
North Korea has pushed ahead with its development of nuclear weapons and the missiles with which to strike its perceived enemies, including the United States, despite sanctions and efforts over the years to engage it in negotiations in exchange for sanctions relief.
Pyongyang’s warning comes after the leaders of both the U.S. and North Korea suggested they could meet to renew the dialogue that they began during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
What To Know
Trump said after talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung late last month that he had given approval for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, marking a potentially historic expansion of military cooperation between the allies.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which reflects the thinking of the North Korean leadership, said in a commentary that recent agreements between Trump and Lee “reveal the true colors of the confrontational will of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK.”
South Korea’s official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK), while North Korea is officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“The U.S. allowed the ROK’s possession of nuclear submarine, disregarding the danger of the global nuclear arms race…and gave green light for the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of nuclear waste fuel, thus laying a springboard for its development into the ‘quasi-nuclear weapons state,’” KCNA said.
“The ROK’s possession of a nuclear submarine is a strategic move for ‘its own nuclear weaponization’ and this is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race,” KCNA said.
Upgrading South Korea’s submarine fleet, which will remain conventionally armed, would help ease the operational burden on the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific region, where it has deployed nuclear-powered submarines to counter China, its main military rival.
North Korea, which is estimated to have 50 nuclear warheads, is also developing a nuclear-powered submarine program—possibly with Russia’s help, according to South Korean officials.
In March, North Korea’s state media released photographs of what it said was an inspection tour by leader Kim Jong Un of a shipyard where its first nuclear submarine is being built.
KCNA did not refer to Trump by name in its commentary but it said the U.S-South Korean cooperation proved U.S. hostility “irrespective of regime change.”
What People Are Saying
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said in its commentary: “The U.S. and the ROK are openly ignoring the DPRK’s legitimate security concern and aggravating the regional tension…. The DPRK will take more justified and realistic countermeasures to defend the sovereignty and security interests of the state and regional peace, corresponding to the fact that the confrontational intention of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK was formulated as their policy.”
What Happens Next
Trump told reporters on October 24 he was “open” to a potential meeting with Kim, citing their “great relationship.” It remains unclear when such a meeting might take place, and whether concessions would be on the table without steps toward denuclearization.