Overview
- Adm. Daryl Caudle said it is a natural expectation that South Korea’s planned nuclear-powered attack submarines would help counter China and operate beyond a purely regional role.
- A joint White House fact sheet records U.S. support for Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and for procedures that could lead to civil uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing for peaceful uses, subject to legal requirements.
- Experts and officials caution that enabling enrichment, reprocessing and naval reactor fuel will likely require revising the nuclear cooperation agreement, interagency and international reviews, and probable congressional scrutiny.
- People familiar with ongoing talks say Korean-led joint production of submarines at sites in both countries is under discussion, including a potential role for Hanwha’s Philadelphia yard, though key decisions and sequencing remain unresolved.
- The broader package includes a $350 billion Korean investment pledge in the U.S., with about $150 billion for shipbuilding tied to tariff cuts to 15 percent, as both sides explore ways to expand industrial capacity and navigate constraints such as the Jones Act.