US Nuclear Missile Submarine Visits South Korea as Allies Talk War Planning

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) speaks during a meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group between South Korea and the United States at the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea, on July 18, 2023. South Korea Presidential House/Yonhap via AP

SEOUL—For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) visited South Korea on Tuesday, as the allies launched talks to coordinate their responses in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell confirmed the rare visit, which had been expected after it was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington in April.