South Korea Initiates Formal Process for Nuclear-Powered Submarines

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The military has initiated the formal process to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a Navy document showed Wednesday, amid little progress in security talks with the United States over Seoul's push for the project.

The Navy recently submitted the document to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) outlining the need for the program and specifying requirements, such as desired capabilities, the number of systems needed and projected deployment schedules, according to the document provided to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party.

The U.S. gave approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines and committed to working with Seoul to advance requirements for the project, including avenues to source fuel, under a joint fact sheet released after a summit of the allies' leaders.

The JCS is reviewing the Navy's proposal and is expected to hold a meeting later this month to finalize the requirements for the project.

Once requirements are finalized, the program would typically proceed with preliminary research and feasibility studies, followed by consultations with budget authorities on overall project costs, before entering the development phase.

The move is seen as part of Seoul's efforts to expedite the nuclear-powered submarine project following months of delays in follow-up negotiations with Washington on implementing the summit agreements.

The summit document also commits the U.S. to supporting Seoul in securing the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel.

Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, will visit Seoul in the coming weeks to launch bilateral working groups to implement the summit agreements. Her trip raises expectations that the allies' talks over the security commitments may gain traction.

The military has reportedly been conducting a preliminary review to build at least four 5,000-ton-class nuclear-powered submarines after the mid-2030s.

But it remains unclear how the military would address requirements related to sourcing fuel for the submarines, which would be powered by small nuclear reactors.

To acquire the nuclear propulsion capabilities for the submarines, South Korea would need to sign a special agreement with the U.S. allowing Washington's transfer of nuclear material for military use.

Seoul is expected to soon announce its road map for the nuclear-powered submarine program, outlining its defensive nature and role in line with international nonproliferation obligations, as well as a timeline for the project.