The USS Vermont docked at a naval base in Busan to replenish supplies and allow crew members to rest while carrying out its missions in the Asia Pacific region, according to the Navy.
This is the first visit of the 7,800-ton Virginia-class submarine, 115 meters long and 10 meters wide, to South Korea since it was commissioned in 2020.
The arrival of submarine, which is among the most advanced in the U.S. Navy's fleet, comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea recently resumed its bizarre campaign of sending trash-filled balloons toward the South.
Since May this year, the North has sent thousands of such balloons in retaliation against leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea.
The Navy said the presence of the submarine here strengthens the defensive posture of the two allies and also serves as a show of force against the North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
