North Korea warns of ‘nuclear dominoes’ in Asia if South acquires nuclear submarines

North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, Jang Kum-chol, warned that South Korea's plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US is a "security threat to be countered without fail." He stated that the possession of such submarines would inevitably lead to a "nuclear domino effect" in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jang argued that having nuclear submarines with the capability to deliver a "retaliatory attack impossible to survive or recover from" would be the most responsible option to deter war. He also justified North Korea's development of nuclear weapons as the most perfect and complex operational combat strength to reliably defend the maritime sovereignty of the state.

Jang claimed that South Korea has been seeking nuclear-powered submarines since 2003 and that their ambition is not defensive or a response to North Korea's nuclear weapons, but rather a leap towards nuclear armament. He criticized South Korea's plan to revise its nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, known as the 123 Agreement, to allow uranium enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear fuel, which he said is part of the US' hegemonic strategy.

North Korea sees the US-Japan-ROK tripartite military alliance, like the US-led "AUKUS" alliance, as a threat, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, including around the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.