Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, May 2 (Yonhap) — An Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will pay a visit to South Korea under an agreement reached with South Korea last week to bolster US deterrence. against threats from North Korea, a Pentagon spokesman reaffirmed Tuesday.
Brig. However, General Pat Ryder declined to comment when asked if the Ohio-class submarine will be equipped with nuclear weapons.
“It will be an Ohio-class SSBN model,” the spokesperson said when asked which class of submarine South Korea will visit under the bilateral agreement on strengthening the United States’ extended deterrence commitment to South Korea.
The agreement, dubbed the “Washington Declaration,” was issued by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden during Yoon’s six-day state visit to the United States on last week.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) shakes hands with US President Joe Biden during a joint press conference after their summit at the White House in Washington, DC on April 26. 2023. (Yonhap)
In addition to the planned visit by an SSBN, the deal calls for a “more regular” deployment of US strategic assets to South Korea, along with the establishment of a new Nuclear Advisory Group that will allow more South Korean input on how the US prepares for nuclear contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.
“Timing-wise, I’m not going to get ahead of myself or announce any deployment timing,” Ryder said when asked when the SSBN will visit South Korea.
He also declined to comment when asked if the sub will be equipped with nuclear weapons, saying: “I’m not going to go into the specific payloads other than the type of sub. It will be an SSBN.”
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(FIN)
2023-05-02 21:50:15
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