\n The government abruptly unveiled the basic plan to develop its first nuclear-powered submarine, aiming for a mid-2030s launch. Yonhap News
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nPublic Times \u2014 The Ministry of National Defense said on May 26 it presented the basic plan to develop a South Korean nuclear-powered submarine at the first Future Defense Strategy Committee meeting in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province.<\/p>\n
The ministry plans to launch the lead ship in the mid-2030s and to commission it into the Navy in the late 2030s.<\/p>\n
The government has named this strategic, nationwide effort the Jangbogo N Project.<\/p>\n
The name honors the spirit of the Republic of Korea Navy\u2019s first submarine, the Jangbogo, and signals a next-generation, nuclear-powered platform that will integrate advanced technologies.<\/p>\n
The submarine\u2019s reactor will be fueled with low-enriched uranium (below 20% enrichment). Officials said they will develop a reactor designed for extended core life to minimize refueling.<\/p>\n
The ministry plans to combine South Korea\u2019s world-class civilian nuclear and shipbuilding expertise to produce a platform with high reliability and safety. Officials say the program will manage the vessel\u2019s full life cycle\u2014from design and construction to operation, maintenance, fuel management, and decommissioning\u2014in a systematic, lifecycle-focused approach.<\/p>\n
To allay international concerns, the basic plan lays out three firm nonproliferation commitments.<\/p>\n
First, it pledged that South Korea will not possess or develop nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
Second, it vowed to maintain close communication with the United States and to handle the procurement and management of low-enriched uranium transparently.<\/p>\n
Third, it committed to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to implement safeguards and meet rigorous international obligations.<\/p>\n
Defense Minister An Gyu-baek said the submarines will play a core role in countering North Korea\u2019s submarine-launched nuclear missile threat. He said nuclear-powered boats are quieter and faster than diesel submarines, enabling more effective monitoring and tracking of North Korean undersea forces and strengthening the Navy\u2019s underwater kill chain.<\/p>\n
He added that, armed with precision-strike capabilities, South Korea\u2019s nuclear-powered submarines will provide punitive deterrence and ensure the armed forces retain critical response options in any contingency.<\/p>\n
Last October at the APEC leaders\u2019 meeting in Gyeongju, the government secured official U.S. support from the Trump administration for building nuclear-powered submarines.<\/p>\n
After seven months of interagency consultations, officials finalized the project\u2019s direction. With the Navy\u2019s recent submission of a requirements package to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, administrative procedures to acquire the system have moved onto a formal track.<\/p>\n
Intern reporter Geon-hee Lee, pique_97@naver.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Korea’s Defense Ministry reports plans for nuclear submarine development, aiming for launch by mid-2030s under ‘Jangbo N project.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2024-0050\/thumb-078a78f0-4487-430d-a95c-05bb1d862817.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military"],"yoast_head":"\n
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