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U.S. expert warns China could take actions against Seoul's push for nuclear-powered submarines

Published: 07 Nov. 2025, 08:44

This photo, taken on Sept. 19, shows Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaking during a press conference in Seoul. [YONHAP]

A U.S. expert on Thursday raised the possibility that China could take actions, such as economic coercion, in response to Korea's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. support.

Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), commented on Seoul's pursuit of the submarines during a CSIS podcast, noting that Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration has shown a "strategic tilt" toward the U.S.

After his second summit with Lee last week, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that he approved construction of a nuclear-powered submarine for Korea, and that Korea will build the submarine at a shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"It wouldn't surprise me if, later on, we saw China taking actions in response to this submarine," Cha said, pointing out that the submarine construction approval was "such a surprise."

He noted that China recently imposed sanctions on five U.S.-linked units of Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean in response to the shipbuilding partnership between Seoul and Washington, while commenting on the possibility of Chinese actions against Seoul's drive to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we see something coming down the line on economic coercion by China with regard to South Korea," he said.

Trump's approval of the submarine construction came as his administration has stepped up calls for its allies and partners to bolster its defense capabilities and contribute to "collective defense" in the Indo-Pacific, in the midst of an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.

Seoul has long wanted to acquire nuclear-powered submarines to ensure a stronger deterrent system, as Pyongyang has been doubling down on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Yonhap