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Nuclear submarines deal: is South Korea falling too far into US Indo-Pacific embrace?
While Seoul could expand its security roles, analysts warn the shift from strategic ambiguity could upset its US-China balancing act
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Washington’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines has become a turning point in the alliance, analysts say, one that is already pushing Seoul towards a more explicit role in the United States’ broader Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China.
As the US military reframes the region around a “strategic triangle” linking South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, observers say Washington has begun naming its price for its endorsement of the submarine project – pressing Seoul to take on greater burden sharing within that security framework.
“There is no free lunch on earth. Washington has started presenting a bill to Seoul, calling for greater contributions to America’s Indo-Pacific strategy,” Doo Jin-ho, a senior analyst at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, told This Week in Asia.
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He said the submarine programme “would further shift South Korea away from its strategic ambiguity towards transparency in favour of the United States” amid rising US–China tensions.
This shift would make South Korea’s already delicate balancing act between its key military ally and its largest trading partner increasingly difficult, he said.
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“However, South Korea should not lose sight of its primary goal in its alliance with the US – deterring North Korea – and seek ways to accommodate US security interests,” he added.
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