South Korea could launch homegrown nuclear-powered submarine in mid-to-late 2030s
South Korea should be able to launch its first domestically built nuclear-powered submarine in the mid-to-late 2030s, as the United States signaled support for Seoul's efforts following last week's summit between the two countries' leaders, a defense ministry official said Tuesday, Yonhap reports.
The two sides have made progress on the fuel supply issue, the most challenging part of the discussions on South Korea's bid to build its own nuclear submarines, creating conditions for the project to move forward, Won Chong-dae, a deputy defense minister for resources management, said during a Cabinet meeting.
"We expect that it will be possible to launch the submarine in the mid-to-late 2030s if South Korea secures fuel through consultations with the U.S. and begins construction in the late 2020s," Won said.
Won also said the government plans to set up an interagency task force for the nuclear-powered submarine construction.
During their summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju last Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung openly asked U.S. President Trump to allow his country to secure nuclear fuel supplies for conventionally armed submarines to better track North Korean and Chinese vessels, saying it would ease the operational burden for U.S. forces.
Trump said in a social media post the following day that he has given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard, run by South Korea's Hanwha Ocean.
Following the annual security talks in Seoul on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said his department will work closely with other departments to help fulfill Trump's pledge for the nuclear-powered submarines in a "deliberate" manner, saying Trump wants his allies to be "strong."
Won said the government has secured key technologies needed to build a nuclear-powered submarine, such as the reactor and arms systems, and work is under way to verify the safety.
"As this will be the first case in which a reactor is installed in a submarine, we will make sure that we have the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks established at the same time," Won said.
Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan and South Korea will focus on the cascade hydroelectric power project development.
