US Nuclear Submarine Boarding, Yoon: "Overwhelming and Resolute Response... Regime's End if North Korea Provokes Nuclear"

Visit to SSBN Kentucky Docked in Busan
ROK-US Combined Forces Commander: "Key Component of Extended Deterrence"
First Lady Kim Keon-hee Also Accompanies

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the Busan Naval Operations Command, where a U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) had docked on the 19th, the same day North Korea launched a ballistic missile. He emphasized an overwhelming and resolute response, stating, "We will make it impossible for North Korea to even dream of nuclear provocations, and if North Korea provokes, it will lead to the end of its regime."

On that afternoon, President Yoon visited Pier 1 within the Busan Naval Operations Command and stood in front of the USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), which was docked there. He said, "Yesterday, as a practical implementation of the Washington Declaration, we held a meeting of the ROK-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)." The USS Kentucky is a U.S. Ohio-class SSBN that arrived at the Busan operational base in line with the launch and first meeting of the ROK-U.S. National Security Council (NSC) the previous day.

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers an encouragement speech in front of the USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) of the United States, which docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base of the Naval Operations Command in Nam-gu, Busan on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attending the event were Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, Navy Chief of Naval Operations Lee Jong-ho, and Navy Operations Commander Kim Myung-soo. From the Presidential Office, National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong, First Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo, Second Deputy Director Lim Jong-deuk, Chief of Public Relations Kim Eun-hye, Overseas Public Relations Secretary Kang In-seon, Protocol Secretary Kim Seung-hee, Defense Secretary Lim Ki-hoon, Foreign Affairs Secretary Lee Chung-myeon, and Spokesperson Lee Do-woon were present.

From the U.S. side, La Abercrombie, NSC Defense and Arms Control Policy Coordinator; Bifin Narang, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Space Policy; Joey Sakurai, Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea; Paul LaCamera, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command; Christopher Cavanough, Commander of Submarine Squadron 7; and Neil Kuprowski, Commander of U.S. Navy Forces Korea, were in attendance. Notably, President Yoon’s wife, Kim Geon-hee, also accompanied him.

President Yoon first expressed, "It is meaningful and reassuring to visit the USS Kentucky, one of the most powerful strategic assets currently in existence," adding, "As a president of an allied country, I believe I am the first to visit an SSBN," expressing his gratitude.

This deployment of the USS Kentucky to Korea is the first in 42 years since the U.S. SSBN Robert E. Lee visited Jinhae, Gyeongnam, in 1981. President Yoon also framed this as a demonstration of the two countries’ commitment to the regular deployment of strategic assets and the execution of extended deterrence.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee are boarding the USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), which arrived on the 19th at the U.S. Navy Operations Command Busan Base in Nam-gu, Busan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon emphasized, "The ROK and the U.S. will continue to respond overwhelmingly and resolutely to North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated nuclear missile threats through the regular deployment of strategic assets such as the NCG and SSBN."

He continued, "I commend the efforts of the ROK-U.S. forces stationed on the front lines protecting the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea at this very moment, as well as the crew members of the USS Kentucky who have come here from afar."

Commander LaCamera, who hosted the event, also remarked, "The USS Kentucky is a strategic platform that plays a very important role in the U.S. nuclear triad," adding, "Please consider it as a key component of the extended deterrence that the U.S. provides to the Republic of Korea, being one of the most survivable assets in the triad."

Afterwards, President Yoon, accompanied by Mrs. Kim, entered the USS Kentucky under Commander LaCamera’s guidance, received a briefing on its capabilities for about 30 minutes, and encouraged the U.S. Navy crew members.

President Yoon also visited the headquarters of the Naval Operations Command. In the guestbook, he wrote, "A cornerstone of the powerful Republic of Korea Navy’s global security cooperation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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