US guided-missile submarine arrives in South Korea, a day after North Korea resumes missile tests

A day after North Korea resumed missile tests in response to U.S.-South Korean live-fire drills, a guided-missile submarine from the United States has arrived in South Korea. The USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying approximately 150 Tomahawk missiles, reached the southeastern port city of Busan. This deployment, the first of its kind in six years, is part of bilateral agreements between the U.S. and South Korea to increase the visibility of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program.

The South Korean Defense Ministry stated that the arrival of the USS Michigan would lead to joint drills between the U.S. and South Korean navies, focusing on strengthening special operation capabilities and their ability to counter the growing nuclear threats from North Korea. However, the duration of the submarine’s stay in South Korean waters was not disclosed.

The USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, is one of the largest submarines globally. It is armed with 150 Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles), and possesses the capability to carry out special forces missions.

In response to North Korea’s provocative missile tests, the South Korean and U.S. militaries have been expanding their joint exercises. While North Korea claims that it is responding to perceived invasion rehearsals by its rivals, experts suggest that the country’s underlying objective is to modernize its arsenal and enhance its negotiating power in future diplomacy.

During a meeting in Washington in April, President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to increase the regular visibility of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula. Biden also warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea on the U.S. or its allies would result in the end of the attacking regime.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticized the agreements reached at the Biden-Yoon summit, perceiving them as displaying hostile and aggressive intentions towards North Korea. She threatened to further strengthen her country’s nuclear forces.

On Thursday, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters, following the conclusion of joint firing drills between South Korea and the U.S. near the heavily armed border of the two Koreas. These missile tests marked North Korea’s first weapons launches since its unsuccessful attempt to launch a spy satellite in late May.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced on Friday that search crews had recovered what they believed to be part of the crashed North Korean rocket. Photos of a white, metal cylinder, potentially the rocket’s fuel tank, were released by the ministry.

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• U.S. guided-missile submarine arrives in South Korea
• North Korea resumes missile tests in protest of U.S.-South Korean live-fire drills
• Bilateral agreements on enhancing “regular visibility” of U.S. strategic assets
• U.S. and South Korean navies to conduct drills on boosting special operation capabilities
• Overview of the USS Michigan, its capabilities, and deployment
• Expanding joint exercises in response to North Korea’s missile tests
• Details of the Biden-Yoon summit agreements and North Korea’s response
• North Korea’s recent missile tests and their implications