U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One en route to South Korea, October 29, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he has given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, a dramatic move that would admit Seoul to a small club of nations possessing such vessels. The submarine will be built in a Philadelphia shipyard, where South Korean firms have increased investment, Trump wrote on social media.
"I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel powered Submarines that they have now," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The U.S. president, who met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other regional leaders during his visit, also said Seoul had agreed to buy vast quantities of U.S. oil and gas. Trump and Lee finalized details of a fraught trade deal at a summit in South Korea on Wednesday. Lee had also been seeking U.S. permission for South Korea to reprocess nuclear fuel. NUCLEAR RESTRICTIONS EASING? South Korea's Industry Ministry said its officials had not been involved in any detailed discussions about building the submarines in Philadelphia. While South Korea has a sophisticated shipbuilding industry, Trump did not spell out where the propulsion technology would come from for a nuclear-powered submarine, which only a handful of countries currently possess.
