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A nuclear-powered submarine from the United States landed in South Korea on Sunday, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry, amid fears that North Korea will launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this month.
According to the South Korean Navy, the USS Missouri (SSN-780), a Virginia-class attack submarine, arrived at a vital naval facility in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, early on Sunday.
“With the deployment of the USS Missouri, we plan to strengthen naval exchanges and cooperation with the US and to bolster our combined defence posture,” it added.
The submarine’s deployment comes barely three weeks after the USS Santa Fe (SSN-763), a Los Angeles-class submarine, arrived at the Jeju Naval Base on the southern resort island, according to Yonhap.
Earlier this week, as he arrived in Washington for a meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), a South Korea-US security meeting designed to discuss nuclear and strategic planning issues, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo raised the possibility of North Korea launching an ICBM in December.
North Korea last conducted a solid-fuel ICBM test in July.
Source:IANS
