Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |
The United States nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles arrived at the southeastern port city of Busan, South Korea on Friday June 16, after North Korea resumed missile tests in protest of the U.S.-South Korean live-fire drills.
The arrival comes after North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast on Thursday and follows a failed attempt by Pyongyang to launch a spy satellite last month.
According to the South Korean officials, the USS Michigan’s arrival in Korea, is the first of its kind within six years, is part of a recent bilateral agreement between the two countries on enhancing “regular visibility” of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s advanced nuclear program.
In April, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed that the United States would enhance the “regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula during their meeting in Washington.”
Biden also stated that any North Korean nuclear attack on the U.S. or its allies would “result in the end of whatever regime” took such action.
The U.S. and South Korean navies are to conduct drills on boosting their special operation capabilities and joint ability to cope with growing North Korean nuclear threats with the deployment of the USS Michigan, said the South Korean Defense Ministry in a statement.
The USS Ohio-class guided-missile submarine is the biggest submarines in the world, can be armed with 150 Tomahawk missiles with a range of about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) and is capable of launching special forces missions, according to the defense ministry.
Since 2022, South Korean and U.S. militaries have been expanding their exercises in response to the North Korea’s provocative run of missile tests.
North Korea has argued to continue its missile activities to deal with its rivals expanded military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
But the experts say the North ultimately aims to modernize its arsenal and increase its leverage in eventual diplomacy.
