Dangerous Military Attempt Invites New Escalation of Tension

2022.8.30.
http://www.mfa.gov.kp/view/article/15689
Recently, the situation on the Korean peninsula and northeast Asia is growing acute owing to the reckless military acts of the U.S.

On August 15, USS “Key West”, the Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, entered Yokosuka port of Japan.

This nuclear submarine is a strategic strike asset of the U.S. Navy which carries tens of “tomahawk” cruise missiles with the range of 2,500km, “Harpoon” anti-ship missiles etc.

Nuclear submarine of the U.S. Navy made its way into Japan again when the region is yet to be freed from a tight atmosphere caused by the military operation of “Ronald Reagan” USS carrier group at the South China Sea. This shows that the U.S. is intentionally trying to stir up the atmosphere of conflict on the Korean peninsula and the northeast Asia.

Over the past years, regional countries used to show sensitive reaction to the appearance of nuclear submarine, taking it as the trigger for the escalation of tension.

When USS “Nevada”, an Ohio-class nuclear submarine entered Guam in January this year, Chinese experts condemned the U.S., saying that it is a warning signal that the U.S. would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons in case of the Taiwan emergency, and that the U.S. is employing the forward deployment of nuclear submarine as a tool of pressure on China.

When Russia detected a Virginia-class nuclear submarine in the waters near the Kuril Islands in February, it took an immediate and resolute action and drove it out of the waters.

China and Russia keep a high vigilance over the appearance of the U.S. nuclear submarine and take resolute measures. This lies in the fact that the strategic offensive means installed on the U.S. nuclear submarine can pose a potential military threat to any country at any moment and worse still, can be a flash point that can lead to an all-out war.

The current entry of the U.S. nuclear submarine into Yokosuka port of Japan also constitutes a dangerous military move which invites a new escalation of tension in the region of the northeast Asia.

The U.S. forward deployment of nuclear submarine to Japan which is situated in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula would act as a factor of aggravating the regional situation which is already fraught with tension. Hence, it would not escape from due rejection and denunciation of the countries in the region.

Those who play with fire are destined to get burnt to death.



Ri Myong Hak

Researcher

Institute for Disarmament and Peace

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea