Government Preparing to Announce Basic Plan for Nuclear Submarines: "Coordinating and Detailing with Relevant Ministries"

The government is reportedly planning to announce a basic plan for a nuclear-powered submarine (nuclear submarine) program. This move appears to be aimed at accelerating the nuclear submarine project, given the lack of significant progress in follow-up measures after the security agreement reached through the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) between the leaders of South Korea and the United States last year.

Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine Vermont (SSN-792, 7,800 tons) of the U.S. Navy. Yonhap News Agency

On May 15, a Ministry of National Defense official stated, "The ministries and relevant agencies are cooperating to further develop the basic plan," but added, "The timing of the announcement has not been finalized."

The nuclear submarine construction project is one of the security follow-up measures stemming from the JFS, which was agreed upon during the South Korea-U.S. summit in November last year. The JFS specified, "The United States has approved South Korea's construction of nuclear-powered submarines," and, "The United States will work closely with South Korea to advance the requirements of this shipbuilding project, including securing fuel supplies." Military authorities have been reviewing a plan to build at least four nuclear submarines with a displacement of 5,000 tons or more starting from the mid-2030s.

Previously, during his visit to the United States from May 10 to 14, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek met with former U.S. Secretary of War (formerly the Department of Defense) Pete Hegseth, as well as the acting Secretary of the Navy and key members of Congress, to discuss cooperation on South Korea's nuclear submarine construction.

Currently, various issues, including the Coupang controversy, delays in investment in the United States, and the U.S. involvement in the Iran war, have slowed the progress of follow-up measures for the JFS. In this context, the government's intention to announce a basic plan for nuclear submarines signals a formal launch of the nuclear submarine project.

If the basic plan for nuclear submarines is announced, the Ministry of National Defense—which is leading the inter-ministerial nuclear submarine task force (TF) involving multiple agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Finance—is expected to take charge of the announcement. However, it is known that the specific timing of the announcement has not yet been determined.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.