Image source: topwar.ru
South Korea has approved a basic plan for the construction of nuclear submarines under the Jang Bogo N program. The decision was made on November 6, 2026 at a meeting of the Defense Procurement committee under the Ministry of Defense of the country.
As reported by the Yonhap news agency, the project is officially scheduled to be launched in 2027. Its main task is to create its own attack submarines with a nuclear power plant. At the same time, the armament of the submarines will be conventional, without nuclear warheads.
According to the preliminary schedule, the first submarine is expected to be launched in the mid-2030s. It should become part of the naval forces after 2039.
One of the main features of the program will be the use of a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR). The South Korean authorities intend to purchase such installations directly, and then transfer them to a company that will build a submarine.
The reactors are supposed to use high-grade low-enriched uranium with an enrichment level of less than 20%. According to Yonhap, Seoul has already received Washington's consent to implement a project using such fuel.
The hull and main systems of the submarines will be developed as part of an open competition between South Korean shipbuilding companies. Thus, the authorities expect to use competition between manufacturers and at the same time maintain state control over the most sensitive technologies.
At the same time, the project was allowed to bypass the standard procedure for preliminary assessment of economic feasibility, which usually takes from one to two years. This solution should speed up the start of work. Instead, a separate in-depth check is provided.
The total cost of the program has not yet been disclosed. The defense Ministry explains this by the need to maintain secrecy.
In South Korea, the need to create nuclear submarines is explained by the growing missile and nuclear threat from the DPRK.
The new submarines should become part of the Kill Chain system, which provides for the detection and preemptive destruction of objects that pose a military threat. In particular, we are talking about the means of delivering nuclear weapons, missile complexes and other important military facilities.
The main advantage of a nuclear power plant is the ability to stay underwater for a long time without having to regularly surface to charge batteries. This increases the duration of autonomous cruises and expands the submarine's stealthy movement capabilities.
It is important to note that this is a nuclear power plant, not a nuclear weapon. South Korea intends to equip new submarines with conventional weapons.
The Jang Bogo N program is also of international importance. Its implementation was made possible, among other things, thanks to agreements with the United States on the use of nuclear technology and fuel.
Thus, the development of the South Korean submarine fleet will be closely linked to American permits and supplies of critical components. This creates a certain technological dependence on Washington for Seoul, despite its stated policy of self-development and construction of ships.
For the United States, strengthening the naval capabilities of an ally is in the interests of its strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korea, in turn, gets the opportunity to increase pressure on the DPRK and expand its own military presence in the region.
As a result, East Asia may get another participant in the underwater arms race. Against the background of the development of the DPRK's missile and nuclear programs, as well as the growing military activity of the United States and its allies, the appearance of nuclear submarines in Seoul can further complicate the situation in the region.
