{"id":14160,"date":"2026-11-06T13:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T13:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14160"},"modified":"2026-11-06T13:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T13:28:11","slug":"arms-review-committee-approves-plan-for-nuclear-powered-submarine-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14160","title":{"rendered":"Arms review committee approves plan for nuclear-powered submarine project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Seo Hui naval submarine, the second vessel of the Jang Bogo-III Batch-II program \/ Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A review committee of the state arms agency on Friday passed the basic plan for South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program, officials said, moving forward with efforts to build the core naval asset under an agreement with the United States.<\/p>\n

The decision-making body under the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved the plan for the Jang Bogo N project during a regular meeting earlier in the day, DAPA said in a release. The project will formally be launched in 2027.<\/p>\n

Seoul unveiled the Jang Bogo N project in May, aiming to domestically develop and build nuclear-propelled, conventionally armed attack submarines, with the first vessel to be launched in the mid-2030s and fielded after the late 2030s.<\/p>\n

The project has been exempted from a preliminary feasibility study usually required for arms acquisitions, allowing the government to accelerate its push for the construction.<\/p>\n

Under procurement regulations, the defense minister or DAPA chief can request an exemption from the feasibility study for highly classified projects.<\/p>\n

The exemption for the Jang Bogo N program was granted in August, a DAPA official told reporters during a background briefing.<\/p>\n

DAPA plans to select the submarine manufacturer through open bidding in the first half of next year and sign a formal contract by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n

The government plans to directly procure small modular reactors (SMR) for the vessel’s propulsion system. Seoul has secured U.S. consent to build the submarines powered by high-assay, low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent.<\/p>\n

The project is expected to strengthen deterrence against nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea and boost efforts to expand underwater capabilities of the “Kill Chain” preemptive strike system, a pillar of the country’s three-pronged defense architecture, DAPA said.<\/p>\n

The total budget for the project has yet to be finalized, as the matter is still under deliberation, the arms agency added.<\/p>\n

Media reports suggest Seoul is seeking to build at least three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarines, with the total program estimated to be worth 28.9 trillion won ($21.3 billion).<\/p>\n

The committee also approved a plan for the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-I (KTSSM-I) Block-II, aimed at bolstering counter-artillery capabilities with a greater range by 30 percent than the previous Block-I version, dubbed Ure.<\/p>\n

The KTSSM-I, also known as the “artillery killer,” is designed to rapidly neutralize North Korean long-range artillery targeting the Seoul metropolitan area.<\/p>\n

The program is scheduled to run from 2028-2035, with total costs estimated at around 537 billion won.<\/p>\n

The committee passed a revised plan to produce the tactical multiband and multirole radio (TMMR) system at scale to enhance the military communications network.<\/p>\n

The committee also approved a plan to replace an aging presidential helicopter with the S-92A Plus, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n

Other plans approved at the meeting include programs to replace harbor patrol boats and upgrade the unmanned mine-clearing surface vehicle, DAPA said.<\/p>\n

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The Seo Hui naval submarine, the second vessel of the Jang Bogo-III Batch-II program \/ Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy A review committee of the state arms agency on Friday passed the basic plan for South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program, officials said, moving forward with efforts to build the core naval asset under an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t