US to dock nuclear subs in S Korea for 1st time in 40 yrs

Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday will sign an agreement that includes plans to have US nuclear-armed submarines dock in Sou=th Korea for the first time in more than 40 years, a conspicuous show of support to Seoul amid growing concern about nuclear threats by North Korea, according to senior Biden administration officials. The planned dock visits are a key element of what's being dubbed the "Washington Declaration," aimed at deterring North Korea from carrying out an attack on its neighbour.

It is being unveiled as Biden is hosting Yoon for a state visit during a moment of heightened anxiety for both leaders over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea over the last several months.

The three senior Biden administration officials, on the condition of anonymity, said that Biden and Yoon aides have been working on details of the plan for months and agreed that "occasional" and "very clear demonstrations of the strength" of US extended deterrence capabilities needed to be an essential aspect of the agreement. The agreement seeks to allay South Korean fears over the North's aggressive nuclear weapons programme and to ward off the country from restarting its own nuclear program, which it gave up nearly 50 years ago when it signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.