North Korea Responds to US-South Korea Factsheet: "South Korea's Nuclear Submarines a Grave Crisis... Will Trigger Nuclear Domino Effect"

No Response from North Korea to South Korea's Proposal for Military Talks

On November 18, North Korea commented on South Korea's official announcement, through a US-South Korea factsheet, of its plan to introduce nuclear-powered submarines, stating that it constitutes a "grave development that destabilizes the military security landscape not only on the Korean Peninsula but also across the Asia-Pacific region, and creates an uncontrollable nuclear situation on a global scale."

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on the same day, "South Korea's possession of nuclear submarines is a stepping stone toward its own nuclear armament. This will inevitably trigger a nuclear domino effect in the region and provoke a more intense arms race." This statement was North Korea's first response regarding the US-South Korea factsheet and the joint statement from the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).

North Korea also addressed the mention of "complete denuclearization of North Korea" by the US and South Korea, saying, "The ongoing debate about the direction and substance of the current US administration's policy toward North Korea has finally come to an end." Regarding the US expressing support for South Korea's acquisition of uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights, North Korea stated, "It has laid the groundwork for South Korea to rise as a quasi-nuclear state."

However, some analysts noted that North Korea's response was moderated, as it was issued as a news commentary rather than an official statement or declaration by government officials, and did not directly criticize President Lee Jaemyung or US President Donald Trump. Lim Eulchul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, commented, "This commentary reflects a cynical observer's perspective, which not only indicates a simple moderation of tone but also suggests a structural change in North Korea's perception of South Korea and the US." He added, "Regardless of any dialogue proposals made by the Lee Jaemyung administration, North Korea is likely to view them as hypocritical and lacking sincerity."

Meanwhile, as of the morning of November 18, North Korea had not responded to the South Korean military's proposal the previous day to hold military talks to discuss the establishment of a Military Demarcation Line (MDL) baseline. Hong Min, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "The likelihood of a response or acceptance from North Korea is low," adding, "From North Korea's perspective, such talks could risk misrepresenting the fundamentally hostile stance and intentions of both countries."