North Korea Cites US Submarine Push to Justify Nuclear Build-Up — SkimNews
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- North Korea on Sept 16 accused the US of expanding a 'nuclear submarine alliance' that undermines global nuclear security, as the fifth anniversary of the AUKUS pact with Australia and Britain arrives.
- KCNA cited analyst Choe Ju Hyon, who accused a senior US naval official of encouraging Japan and South Korea to pursue nuclear-powered submarines.
- The AUKUS pact — under which the US and Britain are helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines — has become a template Washington seeks to extend to South Korea and Japan, per Pyongyang's commentary.
- Kim Jong Un in December inspected what state media described as an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine at a shipyard, calling it a crucial step in navy modernization and nuclear armament.
- A North Korean defence delegation led by Vice-Minister Kim Kang Il departed Pyongyang on Sept 15 to attend the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum security conference in China.
Why it matters: North Korea's argument exposes an arms-race logic loop: Seoul and Tokyo pursuing nuclear-powered subs is precisely the proliferation Pyongyang cites to defend its arsenal. With North Korea's own 8,700-ton nuclear-propelled submarine hull already inspected by Kim Jong Un in December, Pyongyang is simultaneously the accuser and the builder of the very capability it denounces.
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