Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back on May 26 announces the basic plan for the domestic development of nuclear-powered submarines at the inaugural meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee in Jinhae-gu District of Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. (Yonhap News)

By Koh Hyunjeong

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back has announced a plan to launch the country's first domestically developed nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-2030s for deployment late that decade.

He said this on May 26 at the inaugural meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee in Jinhae-gu District of Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. This is the first time for the government to publicly announce a blueprint for the project.

Minister Ahn said, "The nuclear fuel for the reactor of such a submarine will use low-enriched uranium with an enrichment level of under 20%, and we will develop and build nuclear-powered submarines within the Republic of Korea."

He also stressed that the project is unrelated to nuclear weapons. 

"Korea's nuclear-powered submarines will carry conventional weapons and will have nothing to do with strategic nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear missiles," he added. "We will keep close consultations with the U.S. and faithfully comply with our nuclear nonproliferation obligations throughout the process of securing and managing low-enriched uranium."

"We will cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure nuclear safety and manage radioactive waste in accordance with international regulations."

He said, "We will mobilize the nation's full capacity to ensure that the nuclear-powered submarine project becomes a historic milestone for Korea's maritime security."

hjkoh@korea.kr