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For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) visited South Korea on Tuesday, as the allies launched talks to coordinate their responses in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell confirmed the rare visit, which had been expected after it was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington in April.

"As we speak, an American nuclear submarine is making port in Busan today. That's the first visit of (an) American nuclear submarine in decades," Campbell told reporters at a briefing in Seoul, where he was attending the first Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) discussion with South Korean officials.

The group, aimed at better coordinating an allied nuclear response in the event of a war with North Korea, was also announced during the April summit amid growing calls in South Korea for its own nuclear weapons, a step Washington opposes.

North Korea, which test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, condemned the NCG on Monday for "openly discussing the use of nukes" and warned against allied plans to increase displays of military force, including the submarine visit.

Campbell did not identify the submarine, but said its visit is a manifestation of American commitment to South Korea's defence.

South Korea's defence ministry later confirmed the submarine's arrival and identified it as the USS Kentucky, an Ohio class SSBN.

U.S. SSBNs rely on stealth to ensure their survival and preserve their ability to launch nuclear missiles during a war, and they rarely make public stops in foreign ports.

The United States has pledged to deploy more strategic assets such as aircraft carriers, submarines and long-range bombers to South Korea to deter North Korea, which has developed increasingly powerful missiles that can hit targets as far away as the United States.

The U.S. Navy fields 14 SSBNs, often referred to as “boomers”. The Ohio-class submarines carry 20 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which can deliver up to eight nuclear warheads to targets as far as 12,000 km (7,500 miles) away.

There were regular SSBN visits to South Korea in the 1970s, another period when South Korea was debating the strength of the U.S. commitment and the need for its own nuclear arsenal, according a report by the Federation of American Scientists.

NUCLEAR PLANS

South Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, who co-chaired the meeting, said the discussions are enough to ensure there is no need for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.

The two sides agreed to facilitate information sharing - including establishing a secure communication network - and coordination and planning in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack, which would face an "overwhelming" allied response, Kim said.

The allies will also develop "operations, exercises, simulations, trainings, and investment activities" to bolster nuclear deterrence and response capabilities on the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement released after the meeting.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the NCG would be a "starting point" to build a strong and effective deterrence against North Korea.

"Through a South Korea-U.S. alliance upgraded to a new nuclear-based paradigm, we will make substantial efforts to fundamentally block North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," Yoon told a briefing.

China and North Korea have criticised the group's formation as further raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

When asked whether South Korea will have a role in U.S. decision making, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters the group was more about sharing information.

"A lot of the objective here is to make sure that our South Korean allies have more transparency, more access, more direct connection with planning, so that they can understand how government officials have long been thinking about what goes into defence and deterrence for South Korea," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks. (Reuters)

Thailand's prime ministerial hopeful said on Tuesday he was willing to manage the pace of his Move Forward party's ambitious reform drive if he becomes leader, but vowed no retreat from a plan to change a law that forbids insulting the monarchy.

In an interview with Reuters on the eve of his second bid to win the top job, Pita Limjaroenrat, who led his party to election victory in May, described efforts by the military establishment to block him as like a "broken record" and said Thailand had entered a ew era with a public hankering for change.

Pita, 42, plans to contest his second parliamentary vote on the premiership on Wednesday, after failing last week to win the required backing of more than half of the legislature, as the conservative, military-appointed Senate closed ranks to thwart him.

"It was absolutely expected, the same thing, same venue. Broken record. But the sentiment of the era has changed," he said in the interview.

"Despite what happens tomorrow there has been progress in society. They demand something new, something fresh."

Buoyed by massive youth support for its disruptive, anti-establishment reform agenda, Move Forward was the surprise winner of the May 14 election, thrashing conservative rivals in what was seen as a resounding rejection of nearly a decade of government led or backed by the royalist military.

But it is hamstrung by a constitution drafted by the military, which makes it very difficult for elected parties to form a government without the endorsement of the Senate, which typically votes in line with the powerful army and conservative establishment.

'PRE-PLANNED' OBSTACLES

Pita faces more obstacles on Wednesday, when some senators will try to block his second nomination for prime minister, arguing a motion that was not endorsed cannot be re-submitted.

On the same day, the Constitutional Court will consider a complaint against him seeking his disqualification as a lawmaker over a shareholding issue deemed in violation of election rules.

"The court decision, parliamentary rules and also the senators - that's three-to-four obstacles coincidentally happening in a day," he said.

"That's fine. It's something that was pre-planned."

Move Forward agenda is controversial, taking on issues long seen as untouchable in Thailand, including its plans to tackle business monopolies, end military conscription and remove generals from politics.

He said Move Forward was "not the party of the radical or the young", but had an opportunity to serve all of Thailand.

Its boldest aim is to change article 112 of the criminal code, under which hundreds of people have been charged with insulting the monarchy, which carries jail terms of up to 15 years.

The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify intervention in politics. Critics say it has used the law against royal insult to stifle dissent.

Pita said the decision on 112 was ultimately one for parliament and Move Forward would not dominate the issue, nor would it back away from its agenda in order to get a smoother passage to office.

Amending 112 was not a threat to the palace, he said, but would ensure the monarchy was not politicised and that the law was not misused.

"I'm still sticking to what I promised the voters ... the institution is above politics. That's the only option for governance in this country,' he said.

He added: "I cannot look them in the eye if I'm walking away from this issue." (Reuters)