The challenge facing the program is no longer simply whether South Korea can build or acquire nuclear-powered submarines, but how it would fuel them.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, the Navy recently filed a formal request with the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the acquisition of Korean nuclear-powered submarines.
The request marks the first step in South Korea’s weapons acquisition process, under which the military formally outlines operational requirements, deployment concepts, the number of units needed and the projected timeline for a new weapons system.
The Navy confirmed it had “made a formal request related to the construction of nuclear-powered submarines,” but declined to disclose details. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is reviewing the proposal and is expected to make a decision as early as this month through a formal meeting.
Diplomatic coordination between Seoul and Washington is also accelerating. A senior U.S. delegation led by the under secretary of state for political affairs is expected to visit South Korea within weeks as the allies activate a bilateral working group formed after last year’s summit agreements.
The nuclear-powered submarine project has long been a strategic objective for South Korea’s military, dating back to the administration of former President Kim Young-sam.
The initiative has repeatedly advanced and stalled under successive governments.
During a summit held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last October, U.S. President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung reportedly reached broad agreements on trade and security cooperation, including deeper discussions on strategic naval capabilities.
Military authorities have reportedly considered acquiring at least four nuclear-powered submarines with a displacement of 5,000 tons or more after the mid-2030s, though the size and number of vessels may have changed during internal reviews.
The central issue, however, remains nuclear fuel.
Grossi noted that nuclear material used in such vessels is “not continuously accessible to inspectors” because of the operational nature of submarine reactors.
Because nuclear-powered submarines rely on onboard reactors, securing enriched uranium or other nuclear fuel is essential. If South Korea seeks to produce such fuel domestically or obtain related materials or technology from the United States, separate bilateral negotiations and institutional arrangements would likely be required.
Reuters reported last December that South Korea’s push for nuclear-powered submarines could mark the end of “decades of U.S. resistance,” while also warning that the move could trigger an underwater arms race in Asia.
The U.S. think tank Pacific Forum has also noted that the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement is focused primarily on civilian nuclear energy. Any transfer of naval nuclear fuel or related technologies could require revisions to the agreement, potentially sparking political debate in Washington.
“When we talk about enrichment, people usually think of highly enriched uranium with more than 20 percent uranium-235, but nuclear-powered submarines do not necessarily have to use that level of fuel,” Suh said.
“It is technically possible to use low-enriched uranium of around 5 percent, similar to the fuel used in nuclear power plants, and France and China are known to operate nuclear-powered submarines based on low-enriched uranium,” he added.
The government is pushing to unveil a basic development plan for Korean nuclear-powered submarines by the end of this month.
The blueprint is expected to outline Seoul’s principles on acquiring such vessels, construction plans and its stance on nuclear nonproliferation.
But whether the initiative evolves beyond a political declaration into a practical roadmap may ultimately depend on how clearly Seoul addresses the question of nuclear fuel supply.
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