South Korea to Accelerate Nuclear-Powered Submarine and AI Combat System Development
South Korea's arms procurement agency said it will speed up development of nuclear-powered submarines and AI-based combat assets, including unmanned vessels, attack drones and anti-drone networks, as Seoul pushes to retake wartime operational control.
The agency disclosed the plan in a document submitted to lawmakers during a parliamentary audit. It described the effort as part of a broader road map to secure core capabilities for self-reliant defense, as Seoul seeks to retake wartime operational control of its troops from Washington and responds to North Korea's evolving military threats.
"The agency will leverage existing organizations and capabilities to develop a nuclear propulsion system and establish a blueprint to construct nuclear-powered submarines," DAPA said in the document.
The submarine work falls under South Korea's Jang Bogo N program, which follows a bilateral summit agreement with the United States reached in October last year. The project calls for building the first vessel in the mid-2030s and placing it in operational service by the late 2030s. The military is believed to be seeking at least three 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarines during that period. The vessels would be fueled by high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent.
On unmanned systems, DAPA said it plans a full-scale acquisition of combat uncrewed surface vessels and small attack drones, along with anti-drone networks that include laser air defense weapons and integrated counter-drone systems for front-line border areas.
Seoul is also seeking to take back wartime operational control from Washington before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030. The Lee government views the defense initiatives as timely amid calls by the Donald Trump administration for U.S. allies to shoulder more of their own defense.
DAPA said it will additionally accelerate timely acquisition of long-range artillery interceptors, the Gwanggaeto-III Batch-II Aegis destroyer project and a second batch of F-35A stealth fighters, aimed at countering North Korean threats and facilitating the operational control transfer.
To support these programs, the government will direct defense research and development funding into critical areas including AI semiconductors for guided missiles, physical AI robotics and advanced jet engines for next-generation fighters.
The agency also said it plans to bolster air and space capabilities by advancing military reconnaissance and communications networks, including small spy satellites and the 425-II military spy satellite project.