North Korea condemns US approval of South Korea's first nuclear submarine

North Korea's foreign ministry has condemned Washington's approval of Seoul's plan to build its first nuclear-powered submarine, calling it a "serious development" for the Asia-Pacific.

• North Korea's foreign ministry, via KCNA, called the approval a "serious development" worsening political and military instability in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The ministry said the approval is further evidence of Washington spreading nuclear weapons through the AUKUS agreement, accusing the US of "extreme nuclear armament" that collapsed the international nuclear order.
• South Korea seeks to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-2030s in a program to counter North Korean submarine nuclear and missile threats.
• The plan was agreed with Washington under a trade accord concluded between the two allies last year.