Korea's nuclear sub plan carries wider role in countering China: US Navy chief

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of U.S. Navy

Korea's plan to build its first nuclear-powered submarine marks a step toward broader regional responsibilities for Seoul, particularly in countering China, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said, Friday.

The admiral described Washington's commitment to support the submarine acquisition as a historic milestone, while noting that such capabilities carry heightened strategic expectations for Seoul.

"The difference between a country with a nuclear-powered submarine and a conventional power is significant. Once obtained, [Korea] will be having a submarine that truly is worldwide deployable," he said during a press conference in Seoul.

The event took place during Caudle's first visit to Korea since assuming office in August, marking his first overseas trip as chief of naval operations.

"With great power comes great responsibility," the admiral said, quoting a line from "Spider-Man" in the Marvel comics.

“With that type of capability, I think the U.S. would expect our partnership to meet our combined goals on what the U.S. considers to be our pacing threat, which is China. To a large extent, Korea shares concerns on China as well, and so that capability should be part of the equation."

But Caudle noted that countering China is not a precondition for nuclear submarine cooperation, stressing that how Korea operates its submarines remains a matter of national sovereignty.

The U.S. admiral's comments underscore Seoul's delicate position in pursuing its decades-long ambition of obtaining a nuclear-powered submarine, now made possible with U.S. approval of uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. China has already voiced concern over the plan, citing its potential impact on the global nuclear nonproliferation regime.

Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung, right, shakes hands with U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle during a meeting in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of U.S. Navy

Caudle's visit comes as Korea-U.S. cooperation in shipbuilding is expanding.

According to the Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet released earlier Friday, the two sides agreed to explore institutional changes that would allow not only U.S. commercial vessels but also U.S. Navy ships to be built in Korea.

However, determining which types of Navy vessels could be built in Korea is expected to require further discussions and legal reviews.

"Any type of large commercial shipping certainly would be something we could partner right away with very little restriction. But it is a little more complicated when it gets into combat ships," the admiral said. "There are legal processes that have to go through, the treaty processes that need to be looked at and there are stakeholders who care about the combat ships and where they're built."

He also called for strengthened cooperation between the allies to counter China’s "gray zone" tactics in maritime security.

In recent months, Seoul has grown increasingly concerned about Beijing's installation of artificial structures in the West Sea. While China says the structures are intended for fishing activities, critics in Seoul view them as attempts to expand maritime sovereignty.

"China's gray zone activities are concerning globally. This is not just regional waters around Korea," Caudle said. "That type of behavior, if you're not careful, over time, gets to a place where it becomes normalized. You have to be aggressive in pushing back on those type of activities."

Yet he was cautious about expanding Korea-U.S. joint naval exercises — which are mainly conducted in the East Sea or waters south of Jeju Island — into the West Sea near China as a way to counter Beijing's assertiveness.

"The U.S. reserves the right to operate its ships in international waters, and it certainly reserves the right to conduct exercises with allies and partners at our timing and tempo," he said.

Caudle added that conducting joint operations in the West Sea is not completely off the table, but he declined to comment on any specific exercises being planned.