The South Korean government has formally announced plans to launch a domestically developed and built nuclear-powered submarine within the next decade. At the first Future Defense Strategy Committee meeting on Wednesday, the Ministry of National Defense reported the "Jangbogo-N Project" to President Lee Jae-myung, targeting the launch of the first nuclear submarine in the mid-2030s and its deployment in the late 2030s. The committee also discussed early recovery of wartime operational control (OPCON) and the military's transition to artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned combat systems as part of establishing self-reliant defense.
"A nation with firm self-reliant defense is the image of a complete state," President Lee said. "A nuclear submarine is a symbol of our will to take responsibility for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula by our own strength." Lee also emphasized swift OPCON transfer, calling it "a core element in completing self-reliant defense."
National defense, which secures the survival of the state and its people, is among the most fundamental and essential functions of a country. Self-reliant defense is a task that cannot be postponed, particularly as the Donald Trump administration in the United States emphasizes "alliance modernization" and the strategic flexibility of US Forces Korea. In this regard, it is encouraging that the government has laid out a concrete plan to introduce nuclear submarines as a future core capability and resolved to concentrate national resources on the effort. The government's declaration could also help break the stalemate in stalled nuclear submarine discussions between Seoul and Washington.
However, self-reliant defense cannot realistically be achieved without a firm South Korea-US alliance as its premise. That is why a "speed-up" approach to self-reliant defense — pushing the OPCON transfer timeline excessively, even at the cost of friction with Washington — is a cause for concern.
The era of relying entirely on the United States to defend the Korean Peninsula is over. "What matters most is the attitude of taking responsibility for our own security and defending it ourselves," Lee said. "Only when there is a will for self-reliant defense can the alliance be maintained more firmly." There can be no disagreement with these words. But alongside the will to defend the country, we must also build the strength to do so. The ultimate goal of defense strategy is to secure national security by acquiring the defensive capabilities needed to deter war. A firm South Korea-US alliance is essential to that end. The OPCON transfer must be premised on a thorough verification of our military's defense capabilities and on careful coordination and agreement with the United States. Self-reliant defense should not be an alternative that weakens the South Korea-US alliance, but rather the foundation for a stronger one.
