South Korea to Launch New Divisions for Nuclear-Powered Submarine Program

By Kim Seung-yeon SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry and the arms procurement agency will launch new divisions responsible for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program this week, as the country seeks to accelerate its push to build the military vessels, ministry officials said Tuesday.

A policy and planning division for the Jang Bogo N program will be created under the ministry to oversee its development and take the lead in cooperation with relevant agencies, the ministry said in a release. The reorganization plan was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day and it is set to formally take effect Friday.

The new division will be responsible for tasks aimed at establishing legal and institutional frameworks for nuclear fuel use through consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog overseeing international safeguards for nuclear energy use. It will also work to help enact a special law on the nuclear-powered submarine program at the National Assembly.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revamped its existing submarine program office into a larger division. Under the division, two teams have been formed to deal with the entire development process, including the design and construction of the vessels and acquiring nuclear reactors as fuel.

South Korea unveiled the Jang Bogo N program in late May to build nuclear-propelled submarines fueled by high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent, as part of its drive to better deter regional threats, including those posed by North Korea. Washington gave Seoul the green light for the project and the two sides have launched preliminary talks to build upon the security agreement reached between their leaders at an October summit last year.

South Korea is effectively banned from using uranium for military purposes under a nuclear cooperation pact with Washington and it needs special arrangements backed by the U.S. to acquire the conventionally-armed nuclear-propelled attack submarines.

The government plans to launch the first vessel by the mid-2030s, with the warship to go into operational service by the late 2030s. The military is believed to be seeking to build at least three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarines during the target period.