Pursuit of Nuclear-Powered Submarines Not Intended to Drive Arms Race, South Korea Says

South Korea has committed $150 billion in U.S. shipbuilding investments, with the submarine slated for construction at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung talk to reporters before an Oval Office meeting at the White House on Aug. 25, 2025 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

South Korea’s presidential chief of staff said on Nov. 3 that the country’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines is “not to generate more of an arms race.”

Kang Hoon-Sik told reporters that the move is “the result of persuading China and the U.S. that North Korea has announced [its own] nuclear submarines and we need to prepare correspondingly.”