US Approves S. Korea’s Plan to Build Nuclear-Powered Submarine

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he has granted South Korea approval to construct a nuclear-powered submarine, describing the decision as a “major step” that could allow Seoul to join the ranks of nations operating such advanced vessels, according to Reuters.

Trump revealed on social media that the submarine will be built at a shipyard in Philadelphia, where South Korean companies have recently increased their investments.

During his visit to South Korea, Trump met with President Lee Jae-myung and several regional leaders. He confirmed that Seoul had agreed to purchase significant quantities of American oil and gas and that the two countries had finalized the details of a new trade agreement during their summit on Wednesday.

Lee also sought Washington’s approval to reprocess nuclear fuel, a practice currently prohibited under a bilateral agreement between the two allies.

However, South Korea’s Ministry of Industry stated that its officials had not engaged in any detailed discussions regarding the construction of submarines in Philadelphia.

Although South Korea boasts a highly advanced shipbuilding industry, Trump did not specify where the nuclear propulsion technology would come from, a capability held by only a handful of nations.

The announcement comes as the United States continues its trilateral AUKUS partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom, which involves sharing sensitive American nuclear propulsion technology to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Washington has not shared such technology with any other country since transferring it to the UK in the 1950s.

During their meeting, President Lee said that authorizing South Korea to build several nuclear-powered submarines armed with conventional weapons would ease the burden on US forces in the region. He also requested Trump’s support in advancing talks to allow Seoul to reprocess spent nuclear fuel or enrich uranium, both currently banned under the US-South Korea nuclear agreement, despite Seoul’s existing civilian nuclear power program.