A senior defense ministry official told ministers on Tuesday that South Korea expects to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine by the late 2030s, days after Washington approved Seoul’s plans.
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AFP reports: Last week, US President Donald Trump said he had given ally Seoul the green light after South Korea announced that the two countries had reached a broad deal covering investment and shipbuilding.
While in South Korea for a regional summit, Trump announced on Truth Social that Seoul would build its nuclear-powered submarine at the Philadelphia Shipyards in the United States.
U.S. nuclear submarine technology is considered one of the most sensitive and tightly guarded military secrets.
Unlike diesel-powered submarines, which must surface regularly to recharge their batteries, nuclear-powered submarines can remain submerged for much longer.
Seoul has not commented on Trump’s remarks suggesting the submarine would be built in the United States.
However, senior defense ministry official Won Chong-dae said Tuesday that it is "feasible to construct a nuclear-powered submarine with our own technology."
"If we secure the submarine fuel through consultations with the United States and enter the construction phase in the late 2020s, we expect to launch the lead vessel by the mid-to-late 2030s," Won told a cabinet meeting.
"South Korea already possesses world-class design and construction capabilities for conventional submarines," he said.
His remarks came after a South Korean presidential aide said Seoul had sought and received Washington’s “authorization for the raw materials.”
The Philadelphia shipyard mentioned by Trump has been run by South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean since last year. However, media reports say the shipyard lacks the facilities and equipment needed to build nuclear-powered submarines.
In August, Hanwha Ocean announced a $5 billion investment in the shipyard, describing it as part of Seoul’s commitment to supporting the growth of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, a goal that Trump has championed.
Earlier this week, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth visited the border between the two Koreas and said on Tuesday that Seoul has “an incredible shipbuilding industry which we look forward to partnering with a lot more.”
Since the collapse of the 2019 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump over the scope of denuclearization and sanctions relief, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state.
Since then, it has forged closer ties with Russia, sending troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Pyongyang also did not respond to Trump’s offer to meet with Kim last week.
Pyongyang has also dismissed Seoul’s hopes for denuclearization as a "pipedream" that "can never be realized."
On Tuesday, Seoul’s Defense Minister, Ahn Kyu-bak, said that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula “remains an unwavering commitment” and ruled out South Korea ever possessing nuclear arms.