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| USS West Virginia (SSBN 736), a U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine / Korea Times file |
By Lee Hyo-jin
A U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) might arrive in South Korea later this month, which would be the first dispatch of an SSBN to the Asian country in 42 years, in a major show of force against North Korea's rising nuclear threats.
An Ohio-class submarine, a 18,000-ton vessel equipped with 20 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), is expected to be dispatched around July 27 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, which suspended combat in the 1950-53 war.
It would be the first port call of an SSBN to South Korea since 1981. SSBNs are one of the most secretive U.S. nuclear assets and their public visits to foreign ports are highly rare.
During a press briefing last week, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Brig. Gen Pat Ryder said a nuclear-capable Ohio-class submarine will visit South Korea, without giving a specific timeline.
Local defense analysts view that around July 27 would be the most likely date for the submarine's arrival. July 27 is celebrated as "Victory Day" in the North, as it claims that it defeated a U.S. invasion of its territory in the Korean War. Pyongyang is expected to hold a large-scale military parade on the upcoming holiday, featuring the display of its latest nuclear weapons.
The envisioned visit of an SSBN to South Korea would be a clear demonstration of the enhanced security guarantee promised by the U.S. in the Washington Declaration signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in April. In the agreement, the U.S. pledged regular deployment of its strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.
On June 16, USS Michigan SSGN, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided missile submarine (SSGN), docked at a naval base in Busan to participate in joint drills with the South Korean navy. It was the first visit of a US SSGN to the peninsula since October 2017.
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