(MENAFN- Live Mint) North Korea on Tuesday said South Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines with US approval would trigger a "nuclear domino" effect, claiming that the agreement revealed the“true colours of the confrontational will” of the US and South Korea to“remain hostile” towards North Korea.

The agreement and a series of large-scale joint military drills by the two countries posed grave challenges to the North's security and aggravated regional tensions, said North Korea, reported state news agency KCNA.

North Korea's accusations comes after South Korea's government announced that it has finalised an agreement to build nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the United States.

What is the deal between US and South Korea?

On Friday, South Korea and the US jointly released the details of the agreement struck by President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump at their summit last month, which included a commitment to disarm the North's nuclear arsenal, reported Reuters.

In a White House readout released on Thursday, the US said it had "given approval for the Republic of Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines... [and would] work closely to advance requirements for this project, including avenues to source fuel".

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To date, only six countries possess nuclear-powered strategic submarines, which include: US, China, Russia, the UK, France and India.

Why the nuclear-powered submarines?

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung said the submarines were critical to maintaining readiness against China's naval forces and the potentially grave threat from the nuclear-armed North's push to develop its own nuclear-powered submarines.

How did North Korea react?

North Korea accused Seoul of secretly advancing a "long-cherished ambition to possess nuclear weapons" that is bound to set off a "nuclear domino phenomenon" in the region and spark an arms race.

South Korean presidential office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said later on Tuesday that Seoul has no hostile or confrontational intent against the North and cooperation with the US was intended to protect its national security interests.

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Hong Min, a North Korea expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the commentary showed the North remained unwilling to engage in dialogue with Washington as long as the US did not recognize it as a nuclear state.

Trump has said he is ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The pair met three times during the US president's first term, aiming for a nuclear deal, but failed to reach an agreement.

(with inputs from agencies)

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