US War Secretary pledges nuclear submarine for South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Pete Hegsett said today that Washington will make “deliberate” interagency efforts to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise to South Korea to build nuclear submarines at a U.S. shipyard.
Hegsett said at a joint news conference after annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak and after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung asked Trump for nuclear submarine fuel and technology during the APEC summit last week. “We intend to work closely with the State Department and the Energy Department to fulfill President Trump’s commitment in a measured manner,” Hegsett said.
Hegsett added, “The US president wants Washington’s allies to be strong. He wants America’s allies to have the best capabilities, and since South Korea has been an exemplary ally (so far), Trump welcomes opportunities like this to ensure that they have the best capabilities to defend themselves and to stand with us as an ally.”
The US Secretary of War arrived in South Korea yesterday for a two-day visit after his roundtable visits to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Shortly after arriving, he visited the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas with the South Korean Defense Minister.
North Korea also launched 10 rockets from its missile system into the waters of the northern Yellow Sea in response to the meeting.