South Korea insists its newly announced plan to build nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s is aimed squarely at countering North Korea. But while Pyongyang may be the immediate justification, the decision carries implications far beyond the Korean Peninsula, with one country likely to be watching particularly closely: China.
In the cold logic of military planning, stated intentions matter far less than capabilities.
This means Beijing is unlikely to focus solely on Seoul’s defensive rhetoric. Instead, analysts say, Chinese strategists will see a future fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines — operated by a U.S. treaty ally — possessing the endurance, stealth and operational reach to pierce deep into regional waters and strategic chokepoints for extended periods.
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