President Trump announced Wednesday that he has authorized South Korea to construct a nuclear-powered submarine, saying it will be built in Philadelphia. The statement went up on social media during Trump's visit to Asia, where he has been meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other leaders in the region, Reuters reports. The post, which followed the announcement of a new trade agreement between the two nations, means the US will share nuclear submarine technology that's widely regarded as among the most sensitive and highly guarded tech the US military possesses, per the AP. In fact, the direct transfer of the information was left out of recent deals with the UK and Australia.
President Lee Jae Myung had been seeking US approval for South Korea to reprocess nuclear fuel, which would allow the country to develop submarines capable of longer deployments to monitor North Korean and Chinese naval activity. Under an existing agreement, South Korea is prohibited from reprocessing nuclear fuel without US consent, per Reuters. Trump also said South Korea has agreed to purchase significant amounts of US oil and gas.
"I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel powered Submarines that they have now," Trump said in a Truth Social post. Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone.
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