SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) — Senior Seoul officials on Thursday reiterated that South Korea’s planned fleet of nuclear-powered submarines must be built domestically, arguing that constructing them in the United States would be “realistically” unfeasible.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that Seoul aims to develop “cost-effective nuclear-fueled submarines tailored to our operational needs, rather than adopting the U.S. Virginia-class model,” reaffirming earlier remarks made by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back during recent government audits.
Wi said investing in new submarine facilities at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is impractical. He also dismissed suggestions that General Dynamics, the American defense contractor, could take on construction of the vessels.
The series of clarifications followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s social-media post last week claiming he had approved South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine — and that the project would be carried out in Philadelphia.
Trump offered his endorsement during his visit to South Korea during last week’s APEC summit, after President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need for conventionally armed submarines powered by stable nuclear propulsion.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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