South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a defense forum held in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 26, 2026. (pool photo)
North Korea slammed the South Korean government’s drive to develop nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US as “a security threat to be countered without fail.”“The ROK’s possession of nuclear submarine[s] will inevitably result in nuclear dominoes in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Jang Kum-chol, the first vice minister of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement published on Wednesday.Jang said possessing “the unparalleled power capable of” delivering a “retaliatory attack” that is “impossible to survive [or recover from]” would be “the most responsible option for deterring a war.”“The new reality of amplifying regional instability reminds us why it is the first national strategic affair to possess the most perfect and complex operational combat strength capable of reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the state,” the North Korean diplomat said to justify North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons.“The chief executive of the ROK justified the development of nuclear submarine[s], claiming that the plan for building a nuclear submarine is an expression of the will to take responsibility for peace and security on the Korean peninsula,” Jang said, referring to the first meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung led in May.Jang asserted that Seoul has been seeking to acquire nuclear-powered submarines since 2003.“The ROK has secretly pushed ahead with its plan for building a nuclear submarine since 2003, more than 20 years ago. Such [a] fact goes to prove that the ROK’s ambition to possess nuclear submarine[s] is neither a ‘reflective measure’ to respond to the DPRK’s possession of nuclear weapons nor a matter of defensive nature to cope with the ‘regional threat,’” he said.Another issue mentioned by Jang is South Korea’s controversial push to revise its agreement on nuclear cooperation with the US, also known as the 123 Agreement, to enable uranium enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear fuel.“It is the final goal of the ROK to secure the right to produce nuclear materials, free from the restraint of the [prohibition] on reprocessing nuclear waste fuel and [. . .] uranium enrichment, and ultimately pave the way for making a leap forward to nuclear armament,” he declared.Jang also had some harsh criticism for Japan, which he said “has already disclosed its ambition not to exclude [any] possible options for the introduction of nuclear submarine[s], throwing off the mask of the ‘Three Non-Nuclear Principles’ with the ROK’s scheme to possess nuclear submarine as an occasion.”This year alone, North Korea has issued close to ten statements criticizing Japan’s military actions.Jang interpreted South Korea’s proposed acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines as being part of the US’ hegemonic strategy.“The ROK’s possession of nuclear submarine[s] will inevitably be a preparatory step for developing the US-Japan-ROK tripartite military alliance into the ‘second AUKUS,’ and if the international community overlooks this, it will have no other choice but to face the waves of confrontation made by the US-led nuclear submarine alliance in the Asia-Pacific region including the waters around the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the South Sea of China,” he said.AUKUS — a name derived from Australia, the UK and the US — is a security alliance between those three countries designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.By Jang Ye-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
