- A US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine has visited South Korea for the first time since the 1980s
- The rare visit by the submarine comes as the two allies are discussing how to coordinate their responses to a nuclear attack by North Korea
- The visit, which was confirmed by White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, was earlier announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden in Washington
SEOUL, South Korea: A US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine has visited South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.
The rare visit by the submarine comes as the two allies are discussing how to coordinate their responses to a nuclear attack by North Korea.
The visit, which was confirmed by White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, was earlier announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden in Washington.
"As we speak, an American nuclear submarine is making port in Busan today. That is the first visit of an American nuclear submarine in decades," Campbell told reporters in Seoul, while attending the first Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) discussion with South Korean officials.
Amid growing calls in South Korea for its own nuclear weapons, which is opposed by Washington, the formation of the group was also announced during the April summit.
The group aims to better coordinate an allied nuclear response in the event of a war with North Korea, which test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile last week.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang condemned the NCG for "openly discussing the use of nukes" and displays of military force, including the visit of the submarine.
While not identifying the submarine, Campbell said its visit affirms the commitment of the US to defend South Korea.
South Korea's defense ministry later confirmed the submarine's arrival and identified it as the USS Kentucky, an Ohio class submarine.
To deter North Korea, which is developing increasingly powerful missiles that can strike targets in the US mainland, Washington has pledged to deploy more strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, submarines and long-range bombers, to South Korea.
