[News Today] Plans to build 4 nuclear-powered submarines

[LEAD]
South Korea already boasts some of the world's top-performing diesel submarines, but their limitations end where nuclear propulsion begins.

With a key agreement now reached between Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump, that barrier is gone.

Seoul plans to begin building at least four nuclear-powered submarines within the next decade, marking a major leap in undersea operations.

[REPORT]
The Jang Yeong-sil is the South Korean Navy's most advanced submarine.

The diesel-powered submarine is capable of remaining submerged for up to three weeks while moving at ten kilometers per hour.

A nuclear-powered submarine can operate underwater for several months even while maintaining maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour for several weeks.

The top speed of the Korean Navy's diesel submarine is around forty kilometers per hour.

If it wants to tail a nuclear submarine, it has to resurface after six or seven hours to recharge as its batteries run out quickly.

Choi Yoon-hee / Former Chair of JCS
It can travel underwater at an amazing speed. A vessel that detects and has to pursue that submarine cannot reach that speed.

What the Korean Navy wants is a nuclear-powered submarine of 5,000-ton class or higher.

Since a nuclear sub is larger than the 3,600-ton-class Jang Yeong-sil, it can be equipped with more than ten vertical launching system(VLS) cells and be loaded with a midget submarine for special forces infiltration.

North Korea is building a nuclear submarine with Russia's support.

Once South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine is completed, it will be capable of pursuing the North Korean submarine.

And its extended operation range allows the South Korean Navy to share submarine surveillance load in Northeast Asia with its American counterpart.

South Korea has been working on developing nuclear submarines since the mid-2000s.

Now the government plans to build more than four nuclear submarines over the next ten years or so.

Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of Nat’l Defense
S. Korea already fulfilled several conditions for construction but could not attain fuel. Now we'll be able to complete the submarine with U.S. cooperation.

South Korea will use nuclear power only for propulsion, meaning no nuclear weapons.

This way the country will not be violating the international rule of nuclear non-proliferation.

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