South Korea To Spell Out No Nuclear Weapons Pledge In Submarine Bill

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Yonhap, the South Korean government will explicitly state in a special bill on nuclear-powered submarine construction that it will not develop, produce or possess nuclear weapons. It will be the first time South Korean domestic law has formally written in the “no nuclear weapons” principle, aimed at easing international concerns that Seoul may use the submarine project to pursue nuclear arms. A government source said on Tuesday, July 28, that the Ministry of National Defense will soon seek public 의견 on the special bill for the acquisition, operation and safety management of nuclear-powered submarines. The bill sets out five basic principles for the project, including no development, production or possession of nuclear weapons, and no transfer of military nuclear materials or damage to the credibility of the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

To speed up the national strategic project, the bill also includes preferential measures such as exemptions from feasibility studies. It would establish a nuclear submarine strategy committee to review core issues including site selection and funding, and require a basic plan for the submarine program every 10 years, along with basic safety plans covering nuclear waste disposal and prevention and response to radiation accidents. South Korea is pursuing the “Jangbogo-III” nuclear-powered submarine project, which plans to use low-enriched uranium with an enrichment level below 20% as reactor fuel, with the first submarine targeted for launch in the mid-2030s and formal deployment in the late 2030s.