South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo speaks during a press conference for South Korean correspondents at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, DC, USA, 20 May 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
June 9 (Asia Today) -- South Korea and the United States share the view that Seoul's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines would provide an important alliance capability, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry said the issue was discussed last week during the inaugural meeting to implement the South Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet, known as JFS, and that the talks proceeded on the premise that the submarines would be built in South Korea.
A Foreign Ministry official told reporters that the U.S. delegation did not raise any particular objection to domestic construction of the submarines.
U.S. President Donald Trump previously said on social media that South Korea's nuclear-powered submarines would be built at Philly Shipyard in the United States, but officials from the two countries discussed the project on the premise of construction in South Korea, the official said.
