00:00 And now to the rising nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.
00:04 North Korea's defense minister is threatening to use nuclear weapons after an American nuclear-armed
00:10 ballistic submarine docked in South Korea this week.
00:13 This warning comes as the U.S. still trying to work to locate the American soldier that
00:17 crossed into North Korea without authorization.
00:20 Here's ABC's Faith Abubay.
00:23 This morning, nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea escalating as the U.S.
00:28 shows its military support for South Korea.
00:31 The North blasting the U.S. for "reckless military moves" after this U.S. nuclear-armed
00:37 ballistic submarine docked in the Korean peninsula.
00:40 North Korea's defense minister threatening possible nuclear retaliation.
00:44 Rhetoric like that, it's incredibly dangerous.
00:46 We're not there to instigate.
00:49 This is the first time in four decades an American nuclear submarine has docked in South
00:53 Korea.
00:54 ABC's Martha Raddatz boarding the USS Kentucky for an exclusive look.
00:59 This is where the missiles would be launched from?
01:01 Yes.
01:02 The Kentucky is capable of carrying up to 20 nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, each
01:07 of them carrying up to a dozen nuclear warheads.
01:10 The U.S. military says it's a reflection of American security commitments to South Korea
01:15 as it fights back against North Korean aggression.
01:18 Are you worried about the possibility it could backfire?
01:22 I am very confident in our own nuclear deterrence.
01:25 The nuclear submarine is more than 200 miles south of the DMZ, or the Demilitarized Zone,
01:31 the border that divides South and North Korea.
01:34 This is where the Pentagon says 23-year-old American soldier Travis King intentionally
01:38 crossed over into North Korea this week without authorization.
01:43 Since King was taken into custody, U.S. officials say they've been unable to reach North Korean
01:48 authorities to secure his release.
01:50 We want to bring him home.
01:52 We don't know his condition.
01:53 We don't know where he's being held.
01:55 We don't know the status of his health.
01:58 And as for the nuclear warnings from North Korea, the Pentagon says the U.S. is committed
02:02 to peace and security in the Korean Peninsula, and that the threats only deepen the U.S.
02:07 cooperation with South Korea.
02:09 In Washington, Faith Abubay, ABC News.
