U.S. nuclear sub visits Busan as allies hash out deterrence guidelines

The deployment of the latest U.S. nuclear strategic asset on the peninsula, an indication of U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the South, comes amid signals that North Korea could launch an ICBM as early as this month.

The nuclear-powered USS Missouri fast attack submarine arrives at a naval base in Busan on Sunday to strengthen combined defense posture with South Korea’s Navy. [NEWS1]

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived in Busan on Sunday, the South Korean Defense Ministry said, in the latest efforts for the allies to strengthen their combined defense posture amid North Korean missile threats.

The USS Missouri, a 7,800-ton Virginia-class attack submarine, docked at Busan Naval Base, where U.S. Naval Forces Korea is headquartered.

The deployment of the latest U.S. nuclear strategic asset on the peninsula, an indication of U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the South, comes amid signals that North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as early as this month.

"We plan to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the South Korean and U.S. navies and further bolster our combined defense posture," the South Korean Navy said on the latest submarine deployment.

The Missouri, spanning 115 meters (377 feet) long and 10 meters wide, operates at speeds over 25 knots submerged. The fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms capable of anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Just three weeks ago, the USS Santa Fe, a Los Angeles-class submarine, arrived at the Jeju Naval Base on Nov. 22, a day after Pyongyang launched a military spy satellite, a move jointly condemned by Seoul and Washington.

Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea's principal deputy national security adviser, told reporters arriving in Washington last week that North Korea may launch an ICBM later this month.

North Korea last test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM toward the East Sea on July 12, with leader Kim Jong-un conducting field guidance.

Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea’s principal deputy national security adviser, second from left, takes a commemorative photo with U.S. officials including Maher Bitar, the U.S. National Security Council coordinator for intelligence and defense policy, right, at the second bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group talks in Washington on Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Deputy National Security Adviser Kim held talks with Maher Bitar, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for intelligence and defense policy, in the second round of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to discuss nuclear and strategic planning at the Pentagon in Washington on Friday.

South Korea and the United States agreed to complete the establishment of guidelines on planning and operating a shared nuclear strategy by the middle of next year.

In a joint statement, the two sides said they "reviewed the enhanced visibility of strategic assets to bolster extended deterrence," which included the ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky's port visit to Busan in July and a B-52 strategic bomber flyover and landing on the Korean Peninsula in October.

The inaugural NCG meeting was held in July in Seoul in keeping with the Washington Declaration signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden at their bilateral summit on April 26, during the Korean leader's state visit to the United States.

The two leaders agreed to establish a bilateral NCG, a planned consultative body of officials from both countries designed to strengthen extended deterrence against threats from North Korea through enhanced dialogue and information sharing on nuclear strategy.

"Any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime, and the U.S. side reiterated that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response," the joint statement Friday read. DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and ROK stands for the South's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Nuclear operations will be incorporated into joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. starting as early as next year, potentially beginning with the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an 11-day joint, combined and interagency exercise scheduled for August.

Additionally, the two sides committed to establishing a hotline between the two countries' presidents to address nuclear threats from North Korea, said a Seoul official.

"Previously, the U.S. nuclear umbrella was the United States telling us to relax since they would take care of retaliating in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack," Kim said during a press briefing in Washington on Friday.

"But now, we are preparing an extended deterrence that is reliable and systemically guaranteed, given that South Korea and the United States are considering, preparing and training together and carrying out our nuclear response together."

He added that in the future, "deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula will not only increase in number but will also be more systematically linked to the ongoing enhancement of extended deterrence, which is being materialized."

Kim outlined the comprehensive nature of the guidelines, covering the sharing of sensitive nuclear-related information, establishing a security system, consultations in response to nuclear threats and real-time communication channels between the two presidents.

He also highlighted establishing a hotline system for immediate communication between the two leaders, facilitating swift decision-making.

"A mobile device for continuous crisis communication has already been provided," Kim stated. "We are presently strengthening the communication line in preparation for unforeseen situations, such as an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack."

BY SARAH KIM, LEE HO-JEONG [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]