SEOUL, July 20. /TASS/. The visit by a US Navy ballistic missile submarine to the South Korean port of Busan may be a condition for North Korea to use nuclear weapons, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam said on Thursday.

"We remind the US military that deploying strategic assets, including ballistic missile submarines, may fall under the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, which is enshrined in our National Nuclear Forces Policy Act. The doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons allows for necessary action if it is determined that a nuclear attack on our country has been carried out or is imminent," the Yonhap news agency quoted the top defense official as saying.

According to the defense minister, the US should be aware that "its nuclear assets have entered very dangerous waters."

The US ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky, which is armed with nuclear weapons, entered the South Korean port of Busan this week. The arrival of the vessel was timed to coincide with the first meeting of the South Korea-US Nuclear Planning Consultative Group in Seoul. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the submarine after the meeting.

US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart adopted the Washington Declaration in April, outlining a series of steps to demonstrate deterrence capabilities. These include plans for regular visits by US nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, aircraft carriers and US bomber flights to South Korea.