Another US sub in Korea

 

An American fast attack submarine visited the South Korean island of Jeju on Monday. The USS Annapolis's replenishment stop occurred less than a week after USS Kentucky became the first nuclear-armed sub since 1981 to stop by South Korea. The Kentucky, which visited the southern port city of Busan last Tuesday, has since departed.

ABC News' Martha Raddatz visited the sub in Busan for a report published Thursday. U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh told Raddatz the Busan visit "represents our enduring relationship with the Republic of Korea, our security commitment and our extended deterrence. It assures our allies and it deters any potential adversaries." 

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol also boarded the missile sub on Wednesday, along with his wife. Yoon told media at Busan that he was the "first leader of an ally" nation to board a U.S. boomer, and declared, "This means North Korea can't even dream of a nuclear provocation" since "such a provocation would spell the end of the regime." 

As for the Annapolis, which is nuclear-powered but not nuclear-armed, Yoon said its arrival will help the U.S. and South Korea bolster their "combined defense posture" and help "commemorate the 70th anniversary of the alliance," Seoul's navy said, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.  

The sub visits come amid what may seem like perpetually rising tensions with North Korea. Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, shortly after the Kentucky visited Busan. North Korea later launched several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea, on its western coast, early Saturday morning. 

And U.S.-Korea tensions recently ratcheted up a notch with the unauthorized crossing of U.S. soldier Travis King over the DMZ just last week. But conversations about King's status have begun at last, United Nations Command officials confirmed Monday. Reuters has a tiny bit more out of that new development; the Associated Press and CNN have similar coverage.