Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
South Korea will build a nuclear-powered submarine in Philadelphia, President Donald Trump announced this week. Writing on Truth Social Wednesday Trump said, “South Korea will be building its Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards, right here in the good ol’ U.S.A. Shipbuilding in our Country will soon be making a BIG COMEBACK. Stay tuned!!! President DJT.” The submarine would be constructed at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, which is owned by the South Korean company, Hanwha Group. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited the shipyard in August for a ship christening ceremony where he joined Gov. Josh Shapiro and other U.S. officials to promote a trade, investment, and military partnership they said should vastly increase employment and production at the facility. Previously, Hanwha Group had announced a $5 billion infrastructure investment that they said would transform Philadelphia into an American shipbuilding capital. Hanwha said it wanted to more than double the workforce of 1,700 welders, operators, and contractors it employs locally, and hoped to accelerate its construction times from the current one ship every eight months to more than one a month. South Korean officials sported hats that said, “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.” However, since then, complications have arisen. In September, U.S. immigration agents arrested around 475 workers at a Hyundai plant in Georgia in a sweep known as “Operation Low Voltage,” Reuters reported. Most of the workers were South Korean nationals. It was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) history, according to the news agency. Many of the workers were in the country illegally, immigration officials said. It was believed at the time that the arrests could ratchet up tensions between Washington and Seoul, affecting trade agreements — including plans to augment shipbuilding in Philadelphia. The raid “has left many Koreans feeling betrayed” after investing heavily in the United States, according to an opinion piece published in The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month that was written by Jeffrey Voth, an engineering and technology executive who’s worked on U.S.-South Korean partnerships. But Trump’s announcement made no mention of any potential obstacles to the submarine-building venture. The White House was being contacted Thursday morning for comment.
