South Korea has denied a report claiming that it is among several countries assisting Taiwan in building a submarine fleet. 

A senior presidential official on Tuesday denied the Reuters report published on Monday, saying it is not true. In a meeting with reporters, the official added the top office is looking into the possibility of illegal transfer of information on individual levels. 

Reuters said an array of foreign submarine-technology sellers are aiding a secretive program to build submarines in Taiwan with the approval of their governments, including the U.S. and the U.K. 

It said Taiwan also hired engineers, technicians and former naval officers from at least five countries, among them Australia, South Korea, India, Spain and Canada. 

According to Reuters, Taiwan is seeking to build eight new submarines in addition to the current four as a deterrent against China.