North Korea condemns Australia's nuclear submarine deal with US

The leaders of Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. attend a ceremony for the security pact between the three countries, known as AUKUS, at a naval base in San Diego, in this file photo from March 2023. Reuters-Yonhap

SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) - North Korea has criticized Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines from Washington through its trilateral security pact with the U.S. and U.K.

In a commentary on Thursday, the official Korean Central News Agency condemned Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the pact, known as AUKUS, warning that Washington's nuclear strategy "will not be effective" in the Asia-Pacific region.

The North's abrupt condemnation came after Australia's first payment of US0 million to the U.S. to procure Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines earlier this month.

The commentary, also published in the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun, slammed that Washington should reconsider "the consequences of its military adventurism," calling it a "dangerous attempt" that would threaten security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia formed the partnership in September 2021 to acquire nuclear-powered submarines after scrapping a similar deal with France.

During his visit to Paris in July 2022, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to pay French shipbuilder Naval Group, which is partly owned by the French government, 555 million euros (US.3 million) in compensation.