North Korea says US-driven nuclear submarine push justifies its own weapons buildup

SEOUL — North Korea accused the US on Wednesday (Sept 16) of expanding a “nuclear submarine alliance” that it said was undermining global nuclear security, as the fifth anniversary of its AUKUS defence pact with Australia and Britain arrives.Washington was intensifying nuclear proliferation efforts, state media KCNA said, citing an international affairs analyst named Choe Ju-hyon who accused a senior US naval official of encouraging Japan and South Korea to pursue nuclear-powered submarines.Saying that the AUKUS pact — under which the US and Britain are helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines — has become a template Washington is seeking to extend to other allies including South Korea and Japan, and noting Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and discussion in Tokyo, the commentary said the developments justified North Korea’s continued build-up of its own nuclear deterrent.North Korea has been advancing its own push for a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed submarine.