KB News Desk
South Korea’s Defense Ministry is moving to prohibit nuclear fuel intended to power submarines from being diverted to nuclear weapons — an apparent move to address proliferation concerns surrounding the program.
The ministry plans to issue a legislative notice for the proposed bill as early as Wednesday, according to officials Tuesday.
“The ministry is establishing the legal and institutional foundation needed to ensure the stable implementation of the nuclear-powered submarine program,” a ministry official said. “The proposed special act is part of that effort.”
Officials said the provision is intended to address concerns that Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines could pave the way for an independent nuclear weapons program or heighten proliferation risks.
If enacted, the bill would mark South Korea’s first explicit statutory prohibition on using nuclear material for the development, manufacture or possession of nuclear weapons.
The legislation follows the government’s announcement in May of the Jangbogo-N project, its plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, after President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump agreed last year to move forward with Seoul’s acquisition of such vessels.
The nonproliferation pledge will be included in a proposed special act governing the acquisition, operation and safety management of nuclear-powered submarines.
The draft bill sets nonproliferation as a core principle of the program, barring submarine fuel from being diverted to nuclear weapons development, production or possession, according to officials. It would also require South Korea to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and cooperate with safeguards and verification procedures conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international bodies.
South Korea is recognized as a nonnuclear-weapon state under the NPT. The government has said the planned submarines will be conventionally armed and that their nuclear fuel and reactor technology will be used solely for propulsion.
The bill would also allow more flexible cost calculations for defense contracts and permit contract prices, deadlines and other terms to be revised if the project encounters delays, including difficulties in securing nuclear fuel.
Under the proposal, a special committee chaired by the prime minister would oversee the program. The defense minister would serve as vice chair, while the chief of naval operations would participate as an ex officio member.
According to sources familiar with the matter, South Korea is seeking to develop three nuclear-powered submarines displacing about 8,000 metric tons each, with the lead vessel targeted for launch in the mid-2030s. The vessels are expected to use low-enriched uranium containing less than 20 percent uranium-235.
Domestic legislation, however, would address only part of the challenge. Seoul must still secure nuclear fuel and reach an agreement with Washington on how it will be supplied and monitored.
“The pace of the project will ultimately depend less on domestic procedural changes than on whether Seoul and Washington can reach an agreement on nuclear fuel,” an industry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
