Seoul’s SSN programme launch raises questions on fuel, tech and build location
Artistic rendering of the future nuclear-powered submarine under South Korea’s Jangbogo-N Project. (Photo: Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense official X account)
Seoul has unveiled its “Jangbogo-N Project” to develop domestically built, nuclear-propelled attack submarines in close coordination with Washington, marking an escalation of the Republic of Korea’s deterrence posture against Pyongyang’s undersea nuclear capabilities.
South Korea formally announced its intent to develop nuclear-propelled submarines on 26 May, releasing the “Basic Plan for the Development of Nuclear-Powered Submarines in the Republic of Korea” – the first document of its kind to lay out a roadmap for Seoul to enter an exclusive club of nations operating nuclear-propelled submarine fleets.
The Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND) framed the initiative, branded the Jangbogo-N Project, as a direct response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) advancing submarine-based nuclear and missile capabilities.
The rationale for the programme is rooted in a deteriorating undersea threat
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
