Defense Ministry to expand, reorganize nuclear submarine development units

A bill to expand and reorganize government bodies responsible for developing a Korean nuclear-powered submarine passed a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Under the plan, the Ministry of National Defense will establish a new Nuclear-Powered Submarine Policy Planning Group to oversee policy and institutional frameworks for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Its mandate covers enacting special legislation, laying the groundwork for nuclear fuel use through consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and building a nuclear safety regulatory framework for submarine reactors. The group will also lead coordination efforts among relevant agencies.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will reorganize its existing Korean Submarine Project Office into a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Office and create two new teams — a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Team and a Nuclear Propulsion Systems Project Team — to lead the full design and construction process and drive development of core technologies, including submarine reactors.

The government unveiled the "Jangbogo-N Project" in May and is pursuing development of a nuclear-powered submarine with the goal of launching a lead vessel in the mid-2030s.

The Cabinet meeting also approved the creation of an information security policy office directly under the vice minister of national defense, as part of amendments to the organizational decree governing the ministry and its affiliated agencies.

The new office will oversee and supervise military intelligence agencies, including the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and will take over full responsibility for setting policy on intelligence, security and counterintelligence — functions previously delegated to units directly under the ministry.

The amended organizational decree takes effect Friday, when the new units at the Ministry of National Defense and DAPA will also begin operations.

The Ministry of National Defense and DAPA said they would "accelerate development of the nuclear-powered submarine as promised to the public, and create conditions that allow each agency to focus on its core mission under democratic oversight of military intelligence agencies."