South Korea to Expedite Legislative Process for Nuclear Submarine Program

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will make efforts to expedite the legislative process to advance its pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine program, the defense ministry said Wednesday, after holding a regular pan-government meeting on the project.

The second task force meeting came after Seoul unveiled a road map for the development of the nuclear-propelled submarine project last month and follows last week's launch of bilateral consultations with the United States on the issue.

The pan-government task force was formed and held its first meeting in December last year to coordinate efforts on the nuclear-powered submarine project among relevant agencies, which also includes the military, the science and industry ministries, as well as the nuclear energy safety commission.

At Wednesday's meeting, officials discussed legislative steps needed to advance the project and efforts to establish a nuclear safety regulatory framework, the ministry said in a release.

They also discussed plans for future consultations with the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet nonproliferation standards, it said.

"We will speed up to advance the legislative process, with the goal of establishing the institutional policy framework by next year," the ministry said, adding that the participating agencies will continue to work closely to push ahead with key tasks in a swift manner.

The officials shared the view that the nuclear-powered submarine program is a national strategic project that requires a whole-of-government approach, given the wide-ranging efforts required in fields such as diplomacy, nuclear safety, industry, technology and fiscal planning.

Seoul secured U.S. backing for the plan under a trade and security agreement reached at last year's bilateral summit of their leaders.

A U.S. delegation led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker visited Seoul last week for the two-day consultations on security issues that include the nuclear-powered submarine project.

South Korea seeks to build conventionally armed nuclear-powered attack submarines, fueled by low-enriched uranium with an enrichment level of below 20 percent.

The country aims to build at least three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarines and launch the first vessel in the mid-2030s.