SEOUL, Jul 24 The US Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine USS Annapolis arrived in South Korea on Monday and entered the military -sea base on the island of Jeju, according to the South Korean Navy.
It is reported that the visit of the submarine to the port is for the purpose of replenishing supplies during an operational mission and against the backdrop of increased coordination between the United States and South Korea.
«With the visit of USS Annapolis, the South Korean and US navies plan to strengthen joint defense and hold exchange activities in honor of the 70th anniversary of the South Korean-American alliance,» the military said.
The USS Annapolis arrived in South Korea just days after the US Navy's Ohio-class strategic nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky left the port of Busan. It was reported that her port call was the first in decades.
After the summit in April, the leaders of South Korea and the United States adopted the Washington Declaration, which provides for the creation of a nuclear advisory group to strengthen extended deterrence, develop specific plans for its use, discuss nuclear and strategic planning, and respond to threats to the nonproliferation regime from North Korea. The parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations in the field of joint defense. South Korea also secured a US promise to promptly deploy «the entire force of the alliance,» including nuclear weapons, in the event of a nuclear attack by the DPRK.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol also said that the United States will deploy strategic weapons on the Korean Peninsula in a «permanent and routine» manner, and US President Joe Biden confirmed that American nuclear submarines will periodically call at South Korean ports.