nuclear-news

US nuclear-powered submarine arrives in South Korea

By Hyunsu Yim, June 16 2023  https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8237042/us-nuclear-powered-submarine-arrives-in-south-korea/

A US nuclear-powered submarine has arrived at a port in the South Korean city of Busan, the South Korean military says.

It is the first time a submarine classified as “SSGN” by the US Navy, or a cruise-missile submarine, has stopped off in South Korea in almost six years.

The USS Michigan’s arrival on Friday comes after North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast on Thursday and follows a failed attempt by Pyongyang to launch a spy satellite last month.

In April, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden agreed in Washington to “further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets” on the Korean Peninsula.

The leaders also agreed a US Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) would visit South Korea for the first time since the 1980s to help demonstrate Washington’s resolve to protect the country from a North Korean attack.

There was no timetable given for such a visit.

June 18, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Korea, weapons and war