The South Korean government is pushing to unveil a master plan for its nuclear-powered submarine program as early as the end of this month, sources said.
According to government sources on Saturday, the government is preparing to announce a "Korean-style nuclear submarine master plan" that will lay out basic principles and a specific timeline for introducing the vessels. The plan is also expected to include measures for securing fuel and funding, a commitment to comply with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, and principles for cooperating with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verification, sources said. The Ministry of National Defense, which leads the pan-government consultative body on the nuclear submarine program, is expected to make the announcement as early as the end of this month.
President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump agreed at their summit in Gyeongju last October to cooperate on South Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines. However, follow-up discussions have been delayed by issues including the slow implementation of investments in the United States, the Coupang issue, and the Iran war. The government's move to present its own plan appears aimed at adding momentum to the nuclear submarine project.
A recent series of visits to Washington by senior foreign affairs and security officials is also seen as linked to bilateral discussions on the nuclear submarine program. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back recently traveled to the United States to discuss the nuclear submarine issue with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo will meet US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker in Washington DC from the 18th to the 21st. The foreign ministry said it "plans to hold in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics, including follow-up measures to the joint fact sheet from the South Korea-US summit, bilateral pending issues, and regional and global matters."
As Park's visit comes just after the US-China summit, he is expected to be briefed by the US side on the outcome of that meeting. According to China's foreign ministry, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula issue at their summit on the 14th, though details have not been disclosed.
