President Donald Trump said in a post on social media Wednesday that he has given South Korea “approval” to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
“Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel powered Submarines that they have now,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
In a subsequent post on social media, the president announced that the submarine would be built in the United States, specifically in the “Philadelphia Shipyards.”
“South Korea will be building its Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards, right here in the good ol’ U.S.A.,” Trump posted.
Prior to meeting with Trump, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he would be pushing the US to approve a request to acquire fuel for nuclear-powered submarines, which South Korea wants to build so it can keep up with North Korean and Chinese submarines.
Previous South Korean administrations have voiced interest in acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine, but the US has long opposed this, citing concerns over proliferation.
South Korea has also been unable to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, despite having the technology, because it is prohibited under the current South Korea-US nuclear agreement.
Earlier this year, North Korea showed off what it said was its own under construction nuclear-powered submarine, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US.
This post has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Helen Regan and Yoonjung Seo contributed.
