Korea's nuclear-powered submarines could take on broader Indo-Pacific role
As South Korea moves ahead with plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, the debate is shifting from whether the country needs them to where and how they should operate. South Korean military experts say Seoul has a strong case for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines to counter North Korea, even if their initial mission is focused on waters around the Korean Peninsula. Over time, however,…
South Korea is contemplating the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, prompting a shift in the discussion from necessity to operational deployment. Military analysts in Seoul argue that such submarines would bolster the country's defenses against North Korea, even if their initial deployment is limited to the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
In the long term, however, experts anticipate that the role of these submarines will extend beyond the region, potentially contributing to maritime security in the broader Indo-Pacific area, such as safeguarding key shipping routes and collaborating on undersea initiatives with the United States.
These perspectives emerged after a recent statement by a U.S. Navy official, who emphasized the importance of a clear security rationale and operational concept for South Korea's expensive nuclear-powered submarines. This prompted renewed debate about whether Seoul requires such advanced assets if its primary operational scope remains near the Korean Peninsula.
Moon Keun-sik, a former leader of South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project at the Navy Headquarters and currently a professor at Hanyang University in Seoul, countered that this stance fails to acknowledge the heightened capabilities that nuclear-powered submarines offer.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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