U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media Wednesday that he has granted South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, in comments made during his Asian tour.
Trump, who met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and other regional leaders during his visit, stated that Seoul had agreed to purchase large quantities of American oil and gas.
He added that South Korea agreed to pay $350 billion in exchange for tariff reductions.
Trump also noted that South Korean companies’ investments in the U.S. will exceed $600 billion, emphasizing that the U.S.–South Korea military alliance is stronger than ever.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I gave them approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, instead of the outdated diesel ones they currently have, which are far less advanced.”
This announcement came after Trump and Lee finalized the details of a trade agreement during a summit in South Korea on Wednesday. President Lee had sought U.S. approval to reprocess nuclear fuel to power submarines capable of tracking North Korean and Chinese vessels for extended periods.