US Affirms Commitment To Help South Korea Build Nuclear Submarines

JAKARTA - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the United States would cooperate with South Korea (South Korea) in the development of nuclear-powered submarines.

In a press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back after the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul, Hegseth said the two countries agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, modernize alliances, and expand joint industrial collaboration.

"We will cooperate with the State Department and the Department of Energy to fulfill President (Donald)Trump's commitment," said Hegseth as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, November 4.

On October 30, Trump said it had approved South Korea's plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense on the same day said nuclear-powered submarines with domestic technology could operate by 2030.

Hegseth called the South Korean-US alliance "stronger than ever." He also said for the first time, the two countries agreed to carry out maintenance and repair of US warships at the South Korean shipyard.

"Our historic alignment is stronger than ever and very important for Asia-Pacific," said the US Defense Minister.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed practical steps to modernize the alliance.

"I am strongly motivated by Minister Ahn's commitment to increasing the defense budget and investing more in the capabilities of the ROK military," Hegseth said, referring to South Korea's official name.

The investment includes missile and space defense capabilities that are important to maintain peace, he said.

Regarding US support for South Korea's plans to build its own nuclear weapons, Hegseth said his visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Monday confirmed the core of the alliance: protecting South Korea from the threat of North Korea (North Korea).

Ahn emphasized that South Korea is a member of the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Agreement (NPT), but their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Ministry of Honor is still "unwavering."

On Tuesday, the South Korean military reported North Korea launching about 10 rockets toward northern Yellow Sea waters on Monday, about an hour before Hegseth's arrival at Camp Bonifas in the Joint Security Area (JSA) within the DMZ area.