The American Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarine USS Michigan, armed with guided missiles, conducted exercises with the South Korean Navy during a visit to the republic.
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USS Michigan arrived on the Korean Peninsula on June 16, the day after North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan (East) Sea. The submarine will leave South Korea on Thursday. This is the first time since October 2017 that the United States has sent a submarine of this class to South Korea.
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A spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry told reporters that the submarine took part in joint special operations training with the South Korean Navy during its stay in the country, but did not provide details.
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Following a summit in the United States in April, South Korean leaders adopted the Washington Declaration, which calls for the creation of a nuclear advisory group to strengthen extended deterrence, develop specific plans for its use, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and respond to threats to the nonproliferation regime from North Korea. The parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations between the two countries in the field of joint defense. South Korea also secured a US promise to promptly deploy “the entire force of the alliance,” including nuclear weapons, in the event of a nuclear attack by the DPRK.
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South Korean President Yoon Sok-yeol also said that the United States will deploy strategic weapons on the Korean Peninsula in a “permanent and routine” manner, and Biden confirmed that American nuclear submarines will periodically enter South Korean ports.
