South Korea Announces Plan to Develop Nuclear-Powered Submarines by Late 2030s

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced the Basic Plan for the Development of South Korean Nuclear-Propelled Submarines on May 26. The effort is named the Jang Bogo-N project after the country’s first submarine, which was built in Germany and commissioned in 1992. The plan calls for the first boat to launch in the mid-2030s and enter service in the late 2030s.

The Republic of Korea Navy has stated a requirement for four nuclear-powered attack submarines. U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class boats.

North Korea unveiled its own nuclear-powered, missile-armed submarine in December 2025. The Ministry of National Defense described the project as a national industrial effort spanning more than 40 years, including ten years of construction and over 30 years of operation. It projected the program would create more than 40,000 jobs across shipbuilding, nuclear power, and defense sectors.

U.S. Navy. Seoul will cooperate with the United States on uranium supply and management.

The two countries are expected to form a working group in early June. South Korea has already built more than 20 conventional submarines; its newest 4,000-ton vessel completed a trans-Pacific voyage and arrived in Canada on May 23. Hanwha Ocean displayed a concept design at the MADEX exhibition in Busan in May 2025.

The design included a rim-driven propulsor, X-form rudder, electro-optical mast with 360-degree view, AI-based combat management system, diver lockout, and manned-unmanned teaming. A vertical-launch missile section will be included in the final Jang Bogo-N design. 6 percent on the day the plan was announced.

Hanwha Ocean acquired the Philadelphia Shipyard in late 2024. Kim Jae Yeop, senior researcher at the Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy, said it will take at least a decade to develop the new submarine type. He noted the navy must continue improving its conventional submarine force in the meantime.