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North Korea Condemns South Korea’s Nuclear Submarine Plan at UN

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 2:35 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

US Approves Submarine

The United States approved South Korea’s plan to build its first nuclear-powered submarine.
South Korea aims to launch the vessel by the mid-2030s, secured in a 2025 trade deal.
North Korea’s foreign ministry called the approval a dangerous development that destabilises the Asia-Pacific.
Pyongyang linked the decision to U.S. nuclear proliferation via the AUKUS pact.
South Korea says the submarine will counter North Korea's submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats.

Summary

Kim Son Gyong Condemns

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong condemned U.S., Japan and South Korea military cooperation at the UN.
He called the alliance an offensive, aggressive bloc with a nuclear dimension.
He accused the United States of updating nuclear war scenarios and conducting provocative joint drills near the peninsula.
He called Japan’s reinforcement plans a ‘first-class war criminal.’

History

Historical Context

After the United States and North Korea signed the Agreed Framework on 21 October 1994, Pyongyang halted its Yongbyon plutonium reactor in exchange for 500,000 tons of U.S. heavy-fuel oil and a promise of two light-water reactors. Decades later, the United States backs South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine and deepens a U.S.–Japan–South Korea security trio, echoing the 1994 effort to curb North Korean maritime threats.

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US Approves Submarine

The United States approved South Korea’s plan to build its first nuclear-powered submarine.
South Korea aims to launch the vessel by the mid-2030s, secured in a 2025 trade deal.
North Korea’s foreign ministry called the approval a dangerous development that destabilises the Asia-Pacific.
Pyongyang linked the decision to U.S. nuclear proliferation via the AUKUS pact.
South Korea says the submarine will counter North Korea's submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats.

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