SEOUL, Nov 3 — South Korea said today its plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines was not aimed at fuelling an arms race, stressing that both Washington and Beijing had been assured the move was purely in response to North Korea’s expanding submarine programme.

US President Donald Trump announced last Thursday that he had approved South Korea’s request to build a nuclear-powered submarine — a decision that would make Seoul one of the few nations to possess such vessels.

“It is not to generate more of an arms race... but the result of persuading China and the US that North Korea has announced its own nuclear submarines and we need to prepare correspondingly,” presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told reporters.

National security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Saturday that Seoul had sought US cooperation to use fuel for its proposed nuclear-powered submarines, since the vessels would serve military purposes, and Washington had agreed.

When asked whether this meant the US would supply the nuclear fuel or permit South Korea to enrich uranium for military use, the defence ministry said today that further discussions between the two governments were still needed. — Reuters