North Korea Cites AUKUS to Justify Nuclear Build-Up — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- KCNA on Sept 16 accused the US of expanding a "nuclear submarine alliance" that undermines global nuclear security, timed to the approaching fifth anniversary of the AUKUS pact between the US, Britain, and Australia.
- Analyst Choe Ju Hyon accused a senior US naval official of encouraging Japan and South Korea to pursue nuclear-powered submarines, framing AUKUS as a template Washington is actively seeking to extend to other allies.
- The commentary cited South Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and ongoing discussions in Tokyo, saying these allied moves justified North Korea's continued nuclear deterrent build-up.
- Kim Jong Un in December inspected what state media described as an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine hull at a shipyard, calling it a crucial step in the navy's nuclear modernization.
Why it matters: North Korea explicitly links allied nuclear-submarine programs to its own deterrent expansion, meaning US moves to equip South Korea or Japan with similar capabilities will face hardline Pyongyang pushback. The commentary, landing as AUKUS approaches its fifth anniversary, gives Pyongyang a propaganda anchor for continued arms development as the regional submarine race accelerates.
Ask SkimNews
