Four days after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung announced an agreement with the US on cooperation in developing nuclear-powered submarines, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 18/11 criticized the program as a "dangerous confrontational effort".

North Korea argued that South Korea's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines would be a strategic move towards weaponizing this technology, "certainly causing a nuclear domino effect in the region and sparking a heated arms race".

North Korea also condemned the US commitment to support South Korea in expanding its uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities, stating this is a stepping stone for South Korea to develop into a "near-nuclear weapon state".

US nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis docked at Jeju Island, South Korea, on 24/7/2023. Photo: Reuters

KCNA stated that the agreement between Seoul and Washington is a serious development destabilizing defense security in the Asia-Pacific region, potentially impacting beyond the peninsula and rendering all global nuclear control efforts impossible.

Pyongyang also warned it would take more just and specific retaliatory measures against the "confrontational intentions" of Seoul and Washington.

The KCNA statement came a day after Seoul, for the first time in 7 years, proposed resuming inter-Korean military dialogue to prevent border clashes. President Lee stated he is ready to negotiate with North Korea without preconditions, reversing the hardline stance of the previous administration.

Pyongyang has not yet responded to President Lee's dialogue offer, nor has it responded to summit calls from US President Donald Trump to resume denuclearization talks.

Thanh Danh (According to AFP, Yonhap)