US Expected to Deploy Largest Strategic Nuclear Submarine to South Korea

The United States is expected to dispatch an Ohio-class nuclear-armed submarine (SSBN, strategic nuclear submarine), the largest of its kind, to South Korea.

The US Navy's nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSGN) USS Michigan entered the Busan operational base on the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 27th (local time), the U.S. plans to send an Ohio-class SSBN to South Korea for the first time in 40 years. The submarine expected to be deployed to South Korea is one of the U.S. Navy's most powerful assets, capable of launching nuclear warheads at targets thousands of kilometers away. It is colloquially known as a "boomer."

However, WSJ added that the timing of the submarine's port call has not yet been disclosed. This deployment of a nuclear submarine is considered significant as the first tangible outcome of the "Washington Declaration" agreed upon by President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden last April.

President Yoon visited the United States last April and reaffirmed South Korea's non-proliferation commitment by declaring that it would not pursue its own nuclear armament through the Washington Declaration. In return, the U.S. promised to deploy strategic assets such as nuclear submarines and B-52 bombers to South Korea. The Washington Declaration explicitly included "port calls of U.S. strategic nuclear submarines in South Korea."

If a U.S. SSBN visits South Korea, it will be the first port call in 42 years since March 1981. This deployment of a strategic nuclear submarine is interpreted as a measure to deter North Korea and reassure the allied South Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.