Translation result
The government unveiled a basic plan to build nuclear-powered submarines domestically using domestically developed reactors and said it has reached a preliminary understanding with the United States.
At a regular briefing on the 28th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il was asked whether announcing the plan before coordinating on elements that require U.S. consent might complicate upcoming negotiations ahead of a U.S.-Korea kickoff meeting on the nuclear-submarine issue. He responded, “We had extensive prior communication and coordination with the U.S. side regarding the basic plan for nuclear-powered submarines and the target timeline. We will soon discuss specific issues with the U.S. delegation that will visit Korea.”
Earlier, on the 26th, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek unveiled the “Basic Plan for Developing Nuclear-Powered Submarines” at the first meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. He formalized the program as the “Jangbogo-N project,” saying, “We will independently build the submarines using our reactors and shipbuilding technology.”
Constructing the submarines domestically and using Korea’s nuclear and shipbuilding technology to develop a native reactor and to employ low-enriched uranium below 20 percent will require consultation with and consent from the United States. Last October, President Donald Trump unexpectedly approved South Korea’s plan to build nuclear-powered submarines during a summit and said the vessels would be built at Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia as part of U.S.-Korean shipbuilding cooperation.
A U.S. working-level team had been scheduled to visit Seoul in January, but the trip was delayed by trade and Coupang-related issues, pushing the kickoff meeting to next month. Although formal talks have not yet begun, the Foreign Ministry confirmed there is already a shared understanding with the United States. Park emphasized, “Since we agreed on the joint fact sheet, we have closely coordinated and communicated with the U.S. on expanding enrichment and reprocessing authorities and on nuclear-powered submarine propulsion, so there should be no obstacle to moving forward.”
Most Commented