The presidential office on the 18th responded to North Korea's position that "the introduction of South Korea's nuclear-powered submarines is a stepping stone for its own nuclear armament," saying, "Contrary to the commentary by the Korean Central News Agency, the government has no intention of hostility or confrontation toward the North and intends to consistently work to ease tensions and restore trust between the two Koreas."
Kang Yu-jung, Spokesperson for the presidential office, distributed a statement with this content to the media that day and said, "Security cooperation between South Korea and the United States is to strengthen security and protect the national interest," adding that the government "will continue to work so that the South Korea-U.S. alliance can contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."
Earlier, the (North) Korean Central News Agency commented that day on the "approval for South Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines" specified in the joint fact sheet, saying, "South Korea's possession of nuclear subs is a stepping stone to the path of its own nuclear armament, which is bound to cause a nuclear domino effect in the region and induce an even fiercer arms race."
It also said this is "a grave development that destabilizes the military-security situation in the Asia-Pacific region beyond the Korean Peninsula and creates an uncontrollable nuclear situation on a global scale." This is the first time North Korea has issued an official position on the South Korea-U.S. fact sheet and the joint statement of the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).