Philly Shipyard, owned by South Korea in the United States, does not have the capacity to build ships at the moment.

Nuclear-powered submarine

Kim Min-seok, the Prime Minister of South Korea, said this on Thursday at a hearing in parliament.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, wrote on Twitter last week about his remarks.

He had approved

It was agreed that a South Korean nuclear submarine would be constructed in Philadelphia's shipyard.

Trump posted the statement on his Truth Social platform, after South Korea President Lee Jae Myung requested him at a summit that his country, allied with the U.S. to allow it fuel for nuclear submarines with conventional weapons.

Kim replied, "As far as I am aware, the Philly Shipyard does not have that capability," when asked by a legislator about the possibility of building a nuclear sub there.

South Korea's defence minister Ahn Gyu back told a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday that building submarines in South Korea was "rational", given that country's expertise in shipbuilding. However, the issue hadn't been discussed between the two countries.

Hanwha Ocean and another affiliate, who own the Philly Shipyard, are among the leading shipbuilders in South Korea.

Hanwha Ocean has declined to comment.

At a press conference held with Ahn, U.S. Defence Sec. Pete Hegseth stated that the Trump Administration would work closely together with the Department of State as well as the Department of Energy in order to meet Trump's promise on the subs. He also said that Trump wants his allies to remain strong. (Reporting and editing by Ed Davies, Gareth Jones, and Heejin KIM)

(source: Reuters)