Trump: United States will share knowledge for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarine

(Patria) - The United States will share its strictly guarded technology to enable South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, President Donald Trump said this morning on social media after a meeting with the country's president, AP reported.

President Lee Jae Myung emphasized to Trump at their meeting yesterday that the goal is to modernize the alliance with the US, noting plans to increase military spending to reduce the financial burden on America.

The South Korean leader said there may have been a misunderstanding when they last
discussed nuclear-powered submarines in August, saying his government is seeking nuclear fuel, not weapons.

Lee said that if South Korea were equipped with nuclear-powered submarines, it could help US activities in the region.

Trump said in a separate announcement that the country would build its nuclear-powered submarine at the Philly shipyard, which was acquired last year by the South Korean Hanwha group.

It was not clear what the size or cost of the submarine project would be, but South Korea, as part of its talks with Trump, said it had committed $150 billion to invest in US shipbuilding capacity.

US nuclear submarine technology is widely considered one of the most sensitive and guarded technologies the military possesses. The United States has been incredibly
protective of this knowledge, and even the recently announced agreement with close allies the United Kingdom and Australia to help the latter acquire nuclear submarine technology does not involve direct knowledge transfer from the US.

Trump's social media announcement comes ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country possesses nuclear submarines, and after North Korea unveiled a submarine under construction for the first time in March. This is a weapons system that can pose a significant security threat to South Korea and the US.

While Trump was visiting South Korea, North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had conducted successful cruise missile tests, the latest indication of its growing military capabilities.