Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao, right, meets with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Washington D.C., May 12, 2026. (X)
South Korea’s defense minister wants “active support” from the U.S. Navy for Seoul’s effort to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a project greenlit by President Donald Trump last year as part of expanding bilateral defense cooperation.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back raised the question Tuesday during a meeting in Washington with acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao, according to a Ministry of National Defense news release Wednesday.
Ahn said the nuclear submarine initiative would strengthen the allies’ shared security interests and further advance the U.S.-South Korea alliance, though the ministry did not specify what type of support Seoul is seeking from the Navy.
Seoul makes an ideal partner for U.S. naval cooperation, Ahn said. He cited his country’s advanced shipbuilding capabilities and recent legislation establishing a legal framework for Korean investment in the United States.
South Korea’s National Assembly passed the Special Act for Korea—U.S. Strategic Investment Management bill on March 12.
Seoul agreed to invest $200 billion in “strategic industries” in the U.S., as well as an additional $150 billion shipbuilding cooperation package approved by Washington, according to a statement that month by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
Washington formally approved Seoul’s bid to build nuclear-powered attack submarines in November.
In a joint fact sheet published by the White House that month, Washington said it would work closely with South Korea to “advance requirements for this shipbuilding project, including avenues to source fuel.”
Following his meeting with Ahn, Cao wrote Wednesday on X that interoperability, collaboration and cooperation are all “necessary to deter aggression and maintain a free and open maritime domain.”
Militaries use “interoperability” to describe the ability of a country’s armed forces to use another country’s training methods and military equipment.
Ahn was in Washington this week to attend the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue
In a separate statement Wednesday, the ministry confirmed Ahn also met with U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, Jack Reed and Rick Scott to discuss alliance issues and security on the Korean Peninsula.
During those meetings, Ahn emphasized Seoul’s goal of assuming a greater role in defending the peninsula while stressing the importance of maintaining a combined defense posture.
Ahn asked for congressional support for the transfer of wartime operational control, according to the ministry.
The defense minister also revealed this week that Seoul is considering phased support for U.S.-led efforts to restore safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz following attacks on commercial shipping near the waterway.
Speaking Tuesday at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, Ahn said the South Korean government is reviewing options that could include “declaring of support, dispatching personnel, sharing information and providing military assets,” the Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.
A ministry spokesman confirmed Ahn’s statements in a text message to reporters on Wednesday in Seoul.
Although Ahn said South Korea would “participate as a responsible member of the international community” to secure maritime traffic through the strait, he emphasized he did not specifically discuss troop deployments with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On Monday, he and Hegseth discussed alliance cooperation, defense modernization and Seoul’s plan to assume wartime operational control of allied forces on the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement released Tuesday.
