South Korea to Build, Deploy Nuclear-Powered Submarines by 2030s

The South Korean government has set concrete goals to launch a nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-2030s and deploy it to the Navy by the late 2030s.

According to the 'Basic Plan for the Development of South Korea's Nuclear-Powered Submarine,' reported by Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek on the 26th at the '1st Future Defense Strategy Committee' attended by President Lee Jae-myung, the plan has been named the 'Jang Bogo N Project'.

The government announced that it will use uranium enriched below 20%, which does not meet the criteria for nuclear weapons production, as fuel for the nuclear-powered submarine, and will develop and construct it domestically.

The government's announcement of the basic plan for nuclear-powered submarine development is expected to bring about changes in the Northeast Asian maritime security environment.