US sends nuclear submarine to South Korea after warning North Korea

The USS Missouri submarine docked in Busan shortly after the US announced it would respond to any nuclear attack from North Korea on South Korea.

The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Missouri docked at the Busan naval port today, South Korea's defense ministry said, adding that the move would help boost naval cooperation and strengthen the two countries' joint defense posture.

US nuclear submarines rarely visited South Korean ports in previous years, but they have increased in frequency since Washington and Seoul agreed to step up visits by US military assets to deter Pyongyang. A senior South Korean official said earlier this week that North Korea could test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this month.

North Korean officials have not commented on the information.

The submarine USS Missouri docked at Yokosuka, Japan in 2022. Photo: US Navy

The USS Missouri arrived in Busan two days after the US and South Korea concluded the second round of talks of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG). South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said on December 16 that the US reaffirmed its "immediate, overwhelming and decisive response to any North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea."

Washington pledged to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities, to defend its ally. In addition, the two countries will study the possibility of utilizing non-nuclear military assets in South Korea to support the US nuclear capabilities, thereby establishing an integrated deterrence network.

The Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine is designed as a multi-purpose warship capable of combat, intelligence gathering, frogman deployment, and cruise missile launch. The USS Missouri is a Virginia Block II version, displacing 7,800 tons submerged, equipped with 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles in vertical launch tubes and four 533mm torpedo tubes.

Vu Anh (According to Yonhap )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/my-dieu-tau-ngam-hat-nhan-den-han-quoc-sau-khi-canh-cao-trieu-tien-4689877.html