Command

$ npx news korea-nuclear-subs --escalation-status

Output: Regional Instability Build Log

INFO: Initializing global security module...

INFO: Detected new hardware: North Korea unveils an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine. This marks the first public disclosure of its tonnage and apparently completed hull since 2021. (Source: KCNA)

INFO: Status update: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un confirms the new vessel's role in defending his country against the "negative security situation that has come as present reality."

WARN: Conflict detected: Kim Jong Un explicitly labels South Korea's plan to build its own nuclear subs as "an offensive act… that must be countered."

INFO: US_STRATEGY_SHIFT.payload: South Korea received US President Trump's approval for its own nuclear submarines in October. This aligns with the US push for allies to shoulder more security burden. (Source: US Government)

INFO: Resource allocation: A pan-government task force launched last week in Seoul. South Korea's national security adviser Wi Sung-lac stated the country will work on a pact for the U.S. to supply military-use nuclear fuel.

DEBUG: Dependency injection via US: The US strategy encourages allies to "shoulder more of their own security burden" and "spend more to beef up defense capabilities."

WARN: Function overload: US Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, "naturally expects" future South Korean nuclear subs to help meet combined goals against "our pacing threat, which is China."

ERROR: Ambiguity exception: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's rare mention of China during his October summit with Trump referred to "submarines near our waters toward the direction of the North and China." His office later clarified this was not targeting specific countries.

DEBUG: <!-- South_Korea.trade_relations.china.status: CRITICAL_IMPACT -->

INFO: Public sentiment poll: A majority of the South Korean public says the country must remain neutral should a serious conflict erupt between the U.S. and China. (Source: Recent survey)

ALERT: <!> SYSTEM_OVERRIDE: A March poll by the Asan Institute found that less than half of Koreans believe the U.S. would use nuclear weapons if North Korea attacks. Meanwhile, a majority supports nuclear armament, even at the cost of international sanctions or U.S. troop withdrawal. <!>

DEBUG: This looks less like a defense initiative and more like a cascading failure of international trust.

Kim Heungkyu (Political Scientist): "In a new international order without the U.S. in the Western Pacific, South Korea needs a survival strategy based on nuclear weapons." He adds that nuclear-powered submarines would allow the country an "entry point toward a much bigger goal" of nuclear armament.

WARN: Government denial detected: The South Korean government, while pursuing access to enriching uranium in talks with the U.S., has denied that it wants to go nuclear.

ERROR: Implicit_Action_Detected: Political scientist Kim Heungkyu suggests the Trump administration is "pushing South Korea and Japan toward the direction of nuclear armament, whether it intends or not."

Stacktrace: regional_security.js

at system.international_relations.resolve_threats(US_strategy: "burden_sharing")

at nation.korea.south.initiate_nuclear_sub_program(US_approval: TRUE, local_threats: [NK_nukes, China_naval_expansion])

at nation.korea.north.deploy_new_submarine(type: "nuclear", tonnage: 8700, purpose: "defense")

at nation.korea.south.evaluate_geopolitical_alignment(US_expectations: "counter_china", China_trade_relations: "largest_partner")

at public_opinion.survey.vote_on_nuclear_armament(sanctions_risk: HIGH, US_troops_withdrawal_risk: HIGH)

at government.korea.south.state_position.deny_nuclear_intent(policy_ambiguity: TRUE)

FATAL ERROR: InconsistentStateError: US_policy_intent != US_policy_outcome. Regional security context diverged from expected parameters.

Segmentation fault? Unexpected behavior? Panic! Trust metrics are critically low.

Patch Notes v2025.12.26b

• + FEATURE: North Korea ships now include nuclear-powered propulsion systems. This enables increased underwater endurance.
• + FEATURE: South Korea gains US approval for developing its own nuclear-powered submarines. This initiative, however, requires a US nuclear fuel supply agreement.
• - REMOVED: Previous US strategy of absolute security commitment to allies has been implicitly removed. It is replaced with the DEPRECATED: "burden_sharing" module.
• ? BUG: The US expects South Korean nuclear subs to implicitly target China, but South Korea's significant economic ties with China create political friction.
• ! WARNING: South Korean public sentiment indicates strong support for independent nuclear armament. This stance appears to conflict with the government's official position.
• # REFACTOR: Global power dynamics are undergoing a significant refactor. Allies are now increasingly considering self-reliance due to perceived US security commitment decay.
• * IMPROVEMENT: A new Indo-Pacific "deterrence" strategy is proposed via South Korean fleet expansion. This improvement is contingent on terrain.water.depth permitting extensive operations.
• ? DEBUG: Humanity continues to deploy more complex, destabilizing "solutions" to what appear to be simpler underlying "trust" issues.