While the US has formed AUKUS, a security consultative body with Australia and the UK, and decided to sell five nuclear-powered submarines (nuclear submarines) to Australia, it has indicated that it has no plans to share nuclear submarine technology with South Korea. The U.S. State Department reiterated this.
At a press conference held by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FPC) of the State Department on the 15th (local time), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Anthony Wire asked a VOA reporter, “Is there a possibility that the US will allow South Korea to have nuclear submarines like Australia?” “From the standpoint of the United States, I think it has been clear from the beginning that it has no intention of further sharing the US Navy’s nuclear propulsion technology,” he replied.
On the 13th, leaders of AUKUS member states, including the US, UK and Australia, announced plans to supply nuclear submarines to Australia early. The U.S. will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, and provide two more if needed.
Given that the United States, which had taken a negative stance on the supply of nuclear submarines, has decided to supply nuclear submarines to Australia, observations have recently emerged that there is a possibility for Korea to do the same. However, Deputy Assistant Secretary Wire’s remarks are interpreted as drawing a line on this.
Nuclear submarines use nuclear energy as a propellant, so they can operate underwater much longer than conventional diesel engine submarines. As a result, it has been consistently argued that South Korea should also introduce nuclear submarines in order to respond to North Korea’s efforts to strengthen its submarine capabilities.
In October 2020, when President Moon Jae-in was in office, Kim Hyun-jong, then the second deputy head of the Blue House National Security Office, visited the United States to explain Korea’s nuclear submarine development plan and expressed his desire to receive nuclear fuel. However, there have also been reports that the US has shown reluctance.
In order for South Korea to operate nuclear submarines, it needs to be supplied with highly enriched nuclear fuel from the United States that can be used for military purposes. However, it is interpreted that the US has shown reluctance as the current Korea-US Nuclear Agreement prohibits the use of nuclear materials for military purposes.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.