On Friday, the United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine to South Korea, a day after North Korea resumed missile tests in response to US-South Korean live-fire exercises.
According to South Korean officials, the USS Michigan's approach, the first of its kind in six years, is part of a recent bilateral agreement to enhance the "regular visibility" of US strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's nuclear advancement.
US Nuclear-Powered Submarine Arrives in South Korea
The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated in a statement that with the deployment of the USS Michigan, the US and South Korean navies will conduct exercises aimed at enhancing their special operation capabilities and joint capacity to counter growing North Korean nuclear threats.
It was reported that the US submarine had arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan, but its length of stay in South Korean waters was not specified. The USS Michigan is one of the largest submarines in the globe, as per US News.
According to a South Korean statement, the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine is capable of launching special forces missions and is armed with 150 Tomahawk missiles with a range of approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).
The Malaysian Reserve reports that the visit occurs after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received assurances during an April summit with President Joe Biden to strengthen extended deterrence measures, including the deployment of nuclear-armed submarines on a more regular basis.
North Korea Launches Missile Tests
The US military exercises are intended to serve as a reminder of a warning President Biden issued to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting with the president of South Korea, stating that a nuclear attack by North Korea would be suicidal.
The North Korean leader was defiant, launching two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday night in protest of enormous live-fire exercises between the United States and South Korea that ended this week just south of the two Koreas' shared border.
The 1980-launched USS Michigan is designed to deploy Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, according to the US Navy. The United States sent the submarine to South Korea in 2017 as a display of force as tensions with North Korea increased.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the 18,000-ton submarine is approximately 170 meters (560 feet) in length and can be equipped with 150 Tomahawk missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles).
This year, North Korea has conducted multiple launches in violation of international sanctions, including tests of its most potent intercontinental ballistic missiles and an attempt last month to launch a military surveillance satellite.
Per NDTV, Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles on Thursday in an apparent response to ongoing military exercises between the United States and South Korea. North Korea views all of these exercises as invasion rehearsals and has referred to them as "frantic" maneuvers "simulating an all-out war against Pyongyang."
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