In a state media commentary on Tuesday, Pyongyang called the submarine programme a “dangerous attempt at confrontation” that destabilizes regional security, AFP reported.
The official Korean Central News Agency stated the agreement represents “a serious development that destabilizes the military security situation in the Asia-Pacific region beyond the Korean peninsula”.
North Korea warned that South Korea’s possession of nuclear submarines “is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race”.
Pyongyang added that “the DPRK will take more justified and realistic countermeasures” due to the two countries’ “confrontational intention”.
The commentary marks North Korea’s first response to last week’s announcement by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalizing the security and trade agreement with Washington.
Seoul said it had secured “support for expanding our authority over uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing” under the deal.
The North’s warning comes just one day after Seoul proposed military talks with Pyongyang to prevent border clashes, the first such offer in seven years.
President Lee has also offered to hold broader discussions with the North without preconditions, reversing his predecessor’s hawkish stance.
South Korea’s presidential office responded that the country had “no hostile intentions toward North Korea, contrary to the Korean Central News Agency opinion”.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the agreement aimed at “protecting the nation and solidifying the security alliance between Korea and the United States”.
Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said Pyongyang’s reaction shows concern that nuclear submarines could help South Korea achieve “semi-nuclear-weapon-state status”.
“The move is likely to negatively affect the prospects for holding inter-Korean military talks,” Yang added.
China also expressed caution about the Washington-Seoul nuclear submarine technology partnership last week.
Ambassador Dai Bing said the agreement “goes beyond a purely commercial partnership, directly touching on the global non-proliferation regime and the stability of the Korean Peninsula”.