“We don’t mean to build nuclear-armed submarines, but because diesel submarines are less capable of submerged navigation, there are restrictions on tracking North Korean or Chinese submarines,” Lee told Trump during talks.

“So if you allow us to supply fuel… if we build several submarines equipped with conventional weapons… the US military’s burden could be significantly reduced,” Lee said

Lee also asked for Trump’s support to make substantial progress on South Korea being allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel or on uranium enrichment.

Trump held bilateral talks with Lee while visiting South Korea to join other heads of state and business leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum for various summits and meetings.

Lee’s predecessors had wanted to build nuclear-powered submarines, but the US has opposed this idea for decades.