South Korea seeks US fuel for domestically built nuclear-powered submarine

7/11/2025 17:13

South Korea wants to receive enriched uranium from the United States to use as fuel for a nuclear-powered submarine and intends to build the vessel at home, a South Korean presidential official said on Friday.



President Lee Jae Myung told U.S. President Donald Trump during summit talks last week that South Korea would build the submarine domestically, while asking Trump for help on the fuel, the official said.



Washington has approved Seoul's use of nuclear fuel for the submarine, the official said.



Under the current nuclear agreement between the countries, South Korea is not allowed reprocess spent nuclear fuel, or to enrich uranium for military purposes, even though South Korea possesses nuclear reactors to generate power.



Lee's position on building the submarine in South Korea appears at odds with Trump's recent comments on social media.



Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last week that he had given approval for Seoul to build a nuclear-powered submarine and that it would be built at a South Korean-owned shipyard in Philadelphia.