SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2023) The US Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine USS Annapolis arrived in South Korea on Monday and entered the naval base on Jeju Island, the South Korean (ROK) Navy said.
The submarine came to the port in order to replenish supplies during an operational mission and against the backdrop of increased coordination between the United States and South Korea, the ROK Navy specified.
"With the visit of USS Annapolis, the navies of South Korea and the US plan to strengthen joint defense and hold exchange activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of South Korean-American alliance," the South Korean navy said.
USS Annapolis arrived in South Korea just days after another US nuclear submarine left the Port of Busan.
Last week, the USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, made port in Busan in southeastern South Korea. On the same day, the meeting of the two countries' Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) was held, where South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden reaffirmed their commitment to deter North Korea.
Last Thursday, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam criticized the deployment of the US nuclear ballistic missile submarine in South Korea, saying that Pyongyang could potentially consider it a sufficient basis for the use of nuclear arms for self-defense.
