TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Korea's Ministry of Defense issued a public notice on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, regarding the proposed law on nuclear-powered submarines. As reported by Yonhap, citing ANTARA, this comes amid Seoul's efforts to build these strategic vessels through cooperation with the United States.
The proposed special law is designed to provide legal grounds for the Jang Bogo N project. The goal of this project is to build at least three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered attack submarines with conventional armaments by the mid-2030s.
These submarines will use low-enriched uranium fuel with a high concentration level, enriched to less than 20 percent.
After a high-level meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October of last year, South Korea obtained the green light from the U.S. to push for the development of nuclear-powered submarines.
One key point in the bill is the provision stating that the nuclear-powered submarine program is not intended to develop, produce, or possess nuclear weapons.
The bill also stipulates that South Korea will not engage in any actions that divert nuclear material for other purposes or undermine the international non-proliferation regime - an effort to reaffirm commitment to non-proliferation obligations.
The draft law regulates compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in implementing nuclear security procedures.
The bill also commits to ensuring public safety and environmental protection from radioactive materials, as well as establishing safety standards for these submarines.
Furthermore, a South Korean Ministry of Defense official said that the nuclear-powered submarine program is the first case in which armaments are integrated with nuclear energy.
"Given that the project spans multiple legal domains, including defense acquisition and nuclear safety management, the current legal framework has limitations," said the official.
The proposed bill also calls for the formation of a strategic committee under the prime minister to discuss further steps. This includes determining the project facility locations. Every 10 years, the defense minister will be required to review the program's implementation plan.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense plans to gather public input until September 7 before submitting the bill to the National Assembly.
Read: Why North Korea Rejected ASEAN's Denuclearization Call
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