CaliToday (18/11/2025): North Korea issued a furious response on November 18, asserting that a joint declaration by the United States and South Korea last week has solidified a "confrontational stance" against Pyongyang, vowing that "countermeasures" will follow.
In a strongly worded commentary released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea targeted the comprehensive agreement announced by the U.S. and South Korea on November 14. That deal, which covers a range of trade and security issues, includes a groundbreaking provision: the U.S. will permit South Korea to build its own nuclear-powered submarines and will assist Seoul in finding "fuel sources" for them.
The KCNA commentary stated that this agreement signals a sharp escalation in regional tensions.
"The joint agreement documents, announced for the first time since the change of administrations in the U.S. and South Korea, show they will continue to confront us," the KCNA article read. "The U.S.-South Korea alliance will develop in a more dangerous direction, signaling a more volatile regional security situation."
A "Path to Nuclear Armament"
While the U.S. and South Korea have framed the deal as a defensive deterrent, North Korea views the new submarine capabilities as a direct and existential threat.
The most explosive claim in the KCNA commentary is that the plan to allow Seoul to possess nuclear-powered submarines will inevitably "pave the way for South Korea to equip itself with nuclear weapons."
Pyongyang also sharply criticized both nations for reaffirming their commitment to the "denuclearization of North Korea." KCNA characterized this as proof of Seoul's "subservience" to Washington’s "America First" agenda and accused the U.S. of seeking to "control the region."
The Philadelphia Connection
The details of the submarine production were further illuminated in a separate U.S. context by President Donald Trump. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the new submarines would be constructed at a shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, operated by the South Korean conglomerate Hanwha.
This move represents a significant upgrade to South Korea's naval power, giving its fleet the ability to operate more quietly and for far longer periods underwater, a key capability in tracking North Korea's own submarine activities.
Kim's "Non-Negotiable" Nukes
North Korea's hostile reaction is consistent with leader Kim Jong Un's hardened doctrine on his own nuclear arsenal.
In late September, Kim stated that he saw "no reason" to avoid dialogue with the United States, but only if Washington stops demanding that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons as a precondition.
According to Kim, the development of nuclear weapons is not a bargaining chip but a "matter of survival" for his country, which he claims is necessary to protect its security from "serious threats from the US and South Korea."
He has publicly and repeatedly affirmed that North Korea will never trade its nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, positioning the arsenal as a permanent and non-negotiable guarantor of his regime's sovereignty.