North Korea condemns Seoul-Washington nuclear submarine agreement, warning it will destabilise the region and spark a nuclear arms race.
SEOUL: North Korea has denounced a security agreement between South Korea and the United States to develop nuclear-powered submarines, warning it will trigger a “nuclear domino” effect.
The nuclear-armed state issued its first response through official media on Tuesday, calling the submarine programme a “dangerous attempt at confrontation”.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced the finalisation of the long-awaited security and trade pact with Washington last week.
Seoul confirmed it secured “support for expanding our authority over uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing”.
The Korean Central News Agency commentary described the agreement as a serious development destabilising military security beyond the Korean peninsula.
It claimed the deal would cause “impossible nuclear control in the global sphere”.
Pyongyang warned South Korea’s possession of nuclear submarines “is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region”.
The North vowed to take “more justified and realistic countermeasures” against the perceived “confrontational intention”.
The commentary emerged one day after Seoul proposed military talks with Pyongyang to prevent border clashes.
President Lee has offered broader discussions without preconditions, marking a policy shift from his conservative predecessor.
South Korea’s presidential office responded that the country holds “no hostile intentions toward North Korea”.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the agreement aimed at “protecting the nation and solidifying the security alliance”.
Analyst Yang Moo-jin said North Korea fears the submarines could make South Korea a “semi-nuclear-weapon-state”.
“The move is likely to negatively affect the prospects for holding inter-Korean military talks,” Yang added.
China also expressed caution last week about the Washington-Seoul nuclear submarine technology partnership.
Ambassador Dai Bing said it “goes beyond a purely commercial partnership” affecting non-proliferation and regional stability.
North Korea’s state media reported in October completing the ninth test of a ballistic engine.
This indicates a potential new ICBM launch could occur in coming months. – AFP
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