Trump Greenlights Plan for South Korea to Build Nuclear-Powered Submarine
Donald Trump and Lee Jae Myung at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Oct. 29.
Photographer: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty ImagesDonald Trump approved a South Korean request to build a nuclear-powered submarine at an American shipyard, a weapon President Lee Jae Myung said would help track North Korean and Chinese vessels and ease the burden on US forces.
The announcement Thursday, which followed a request from Lee a day earlier, suggests South Korea may be willing to play a larger regional role in its alliance with the US, although Lee’s office later said he was referring to vessels in waters near North Korea and China rather than specific countries.