साउथ कोरिया की ‘न्यूक्लियर पनडुब्बियां’ बनाने में मदद करेगा अमेरिका: साउथ कोरियाई राष्ट्रपति बोले- किम जोंग से निपटने के लिए सबमरीन चाहिए

An agreement has been reached between South Korea and America, in which America has allowed South Korea to build attack submarines running on nuclear energy. The White House said in a letter issued on Thursday that America will provide fuel for these submarines and will also provide technical cooperation.

Under the trade agreement signed last month, South Korea will invest Rs 29.58 lakh crore in America. Of this, Rs 16.9 lakh crore will be spent in cash and Rs 12.68 lakh crore will be spent in ship construction.

US President Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that these submarines will be built in the shipyard of Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania, which is the American unit of South Korean company Hanwha.

However, South Korean officials want these submarines to be built in Korea itself, because existing facilities there can build them faster. The South Korean President had said that he wanted nuclear submarines to deal with North Korea and Kim Jong Un.

Nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine. (file photo)

America had reduced tariffs on South Korea

This agreement between the US and South Korea comes at a time when the leaders of the two countries agreed to a trade deal last month, under which the US reduced tariffs from 25% to 15%.

US President Donald Trump had imposed a 25% tariff on South Korea earlier this year. President Lee Jae-Myung had negotiated a reduction to 15%.

Only 6 countries in the world have nuclear submarines

Currently only 6 countries have nuclear powered submarines. This includes America, China, Russia, Britain, France and India.

South Korea already has about 20 submarines, but they all run on diesel and hence have to surface frequently. In comparison, nuclear submarines can stay underwater for longer periods of time, move at higher speeds and operate at longer ranges.

‘I have given them approval to build nuclear powered submarines instead of the older, and much less agile, diesel powered submarines,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

South Korea is a superpower in terms of nuclear energy. It had a nuclear weapons program in the 1970s, but abandoned it after American pressure.

South Korean officials want nuclear submarines to be built in Korea.

South Korea wants submarines to deal with North Korea

South Korea wants nuclear submarines to deal with North Korea. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told Trump at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference last month that these submarines were needed in response to the threat from North Korea.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak said in a TV interview that nuclear submarines would bring a major boost to South Korea’s defense capability and would give North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sleepless nights.

North Korea has released pictures of its nuclear submarine in March 2025 and it is believed that with the help of Russia it will complete it in a few years. He also has about 50 nuclear weapons.

North Korea is building a nuclear submarine with the help of Russia

According to South Korean officials, North Korea is working on a nuclear submarine program with the help of Russia.

In March 2025, North Korea released photos of a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, showing Kim Jong Un visiting the shipyard.

North Korean President Kim Jong Un had said in 2021 that we will prepare a stockpile of modern weapons to deal with the growing military threat towards America. Nuclear powered submarines were also included in the list of these weapons.

Apart from this, solid fuel-powered inter-continental ballistic missile, hyper-sonic weapon, spy satellite and multi war-head missile are included. North Korea has also tested many weapons.

In March 2025, North Korea’s state media released pictures of the submarine. In these, President Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting the submarine.

North Korea, China and Russia may find the deal bad

South Korea’s approval to build nuclear-powered attack submarines could further increase the already prevailing tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Dr Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told The Straits Times that the move would offend North Korea, China and Russia, and risk increasing instability and an arms race rather than security on the Korean Peninsula.

Similarly, these submarines of South Korea can give North Korea a feeling of siege.