[Mid-term Plan Key Point] ④ Development of 4000-ton Class Submarine Propulsion... Is It a Nuclear Submarine?

Ministry of National Defense Announces Mid-Term Plan Declaring Possession of 3,600~4,000t Submarines
Plan Considered with France's Nuclear-Powered Submarines in Mind

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense has attracted attention by announcing plans to possess 3,600~4,000-ton class submarines. Some view this plan as considering nuclear-powered submarines.

On the 10th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it has established the 2021~2025 Defense Mid-term Plan, which includes military force construction and operation plans for the next five years. The budget allocated in this mid-term plan is 300.7 trillion won, with 100.1 trillion won allocated to defense capability improvement to enhance advanced forces against all-around security threats, and 200.6 trillion won allocated for power operation costs for defense operations.

Nuclear-powered submarines are presented as a "powerful card" for North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) equipped with nuclear warheads. Nuclear-powered submarines, also called nuclear subs, generate power by turning turbines with steam produced from heat generated by nuclear fission. The nuclear fuel (enriched uranium) in the small reactor inside the hull does not need to be replaced for a short period of 10 years or a long period of 20 to 30 years until it is fully consumed.

In particular, the cruising speed reaches 45 km/h, more than three times faster than conventional submarines. This allows the submarine to quickly escape after striking a target and launch a counterattack in the shortest time.

Development of Nuclear-Powered Submarines Progressed During the Roh Moo-hyun Administration
The Navy Formed a Task Force for Nuclear-Powered Submarine Operation in 2018
It Is Also Opinioned That Design Is Possible Starting from the 7th Jangbogo-III Submarine

The Navy also progressed with the development of nuclear-powered submarines during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. This is the so-called "362 Project," which reflects the significance of June 2, 2003, when the Navy reported the construction of nuclear-powered submarines to President Roh and received approval. At that time, North Korea declared its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), escalating the second nuclear crisis, and the Navy smoothly proceeded with the nuclear-powered submarine project in line with the government's policy of self-reliant defense. However, when this fact became known externally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) notified an inspection of secret uranium enrichment experiments at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in 2010, and the project was eventually canceled. In 2018, the Navy formed a task force (TF) for operating nuclear-powered submarines, assigning two lieutenant colonel-level officers as full-time and 17 officers below lieutenant colonel level as part-time. To maintain security, external experts were completely excluded.

A private institution also submitted a research report to the Navy concluding that nuclear-powered submarines are militarily necessary. If nuclear-powered submarines are developed domestically, SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) can be used, and it is expected to be developed within seven years at a cost of 1.3 to 1.5 trillion won. It is known that if nuclear-powered submarines are developed domestically, design is possible starting from the 7th Jangbogo-III (3,000-ton) submarine. On the other hand, if imported from overseas, France's Barracuda-class nuclear-powered submarine is considered suitable, with an estimated budget of 1.7 trillion won.

However, the Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement is an obstacle. The Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement stipulates that "South Korea's uranium enrichment must not exceed 20% and cannot be used for military purposes." To operate nuclear-powered submarines, South Korea must revise the Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement. This means that a nuclear-powered submarine project without the support and consent of the United States is impossible.

Moon Geun-sik, Director of External Cooperation at the Korea Defense and Security Forum and a retired Navy colonel who participated in the 362 Project during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, said, "Nuclear-powered submarines are necessary not only for countering North Korea but also for deterring neighboring countries," adding, "If nuclear-powered submarines are developed domestically, it can achieve both defense industry development and military strength enhancement."