ADECS 2018: South Korea harbours nuclear submarine ambitions

31st January 2018 - 09:40 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Singapore

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South Korea is airing ambitions to form a nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) fleet and the eventual commissioning of such boats is being described as ‘politically inevitable’.

Speaking at the ADECS 2018 conference in Singapore, Sukjoon Yoon, a retired Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) captain and now representing the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said the motivating factor is North Korea’s persistence in pursuing ever-larger submarines fitted with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) that could carry nuclear warheads.

Yoon predicted, ‘There is some speculation that North Korea is constructing its own large nuclear-powered submarine, and a new version of its SLBM, Pukkuksong-3, may

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