North Korea condemned the arrival of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Greeneville (6,900 tons) in Busan, warning it would consider corresponding measures in response to America’s display of nuclear force.
On Thursday, North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense stated that the Korean Central News Agency strongly criticized the USS Greeneville’s entry into its operational base in Busan. The ministry said the United States was attempting to permanently embed serious nuclear instability factors into North Korea’s national security environment.
The USS Greeneville docked in Busan on Tuesday for logistical resupply and crew rest. This marks the first visit of a U.S. nuclear submarine to South Korea since President Lee Jae Myung took office, and the first entry of a U.S. nuclear submarine into the Korean Peninsula in 10 months, following the USS Alexandria’s port call in February. Last month, the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington also entered Busan for joint naval exercises with South Korea.
The North Korean Defense Ministry characterized these U.S. actions as destabilizing activities that escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. They also expressed concern about the reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence for South Korea at the recent 5th U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting in Washington, D.C., as well as the U.S. approval of South Korea’s acquisition of nuclear submarines.
Pyongyang accused Washington of transforming the U.S.-South Korea alliance into a nuclear-sharing confrontation bloc, interpreting this as a signal that the U.S. is approaching a critical line in its efforts to secure strategic dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Defense Ministry said that bringing in nuclear submarines to highlight U.S. nuclear strike capabilities would not change the situation, adding that North Korea would choose corresponding measures in response to America’s nuclear force demonstrations based on what it described as principles of symmetry and asymmetry.