South Korean Cabinet Approves Special Bill for Nuclear-Powered Submarine Program
The legislation would create a dedicated legal framework for introducing and operating South Korea’s first nuclear-powered submarines, including nuclear safety rules. It now goes to the National Assembly as the government seeks enactment by year-end.
South Korea’s Cabinet approved a special bill Tuesday to establish a legal framework for the country’s planned nuclear-powered submarine program, moving the project toward legislative review at the National Assembly.
The measure was passed at a Cabinet meeting led by President Lee Jae Myung. It sets out provisions for introducing and operating nuclear-powered submarines as a national strategic project, while also addressing the safe management of nuclear power. The government says a dedicated law is necessary because the program will be South Korea’s first weapons system to incorporate nuclear energy.
Under the government’s stated rationale, the legislation is intended to support systematic implementation of the submarine project and reinforce national security through self-reliant defense. It also links the program to maintaining international peace and developing the domestic defense industry.
The bill now requires deliberation and approval by the National Assembly. The administration aims to have the special law enacted before the end of 2026. Its broader timetable calls for launching the lead vessel in the mid-2030s and placing a domestically built nuclear-powered submarine into service in the late 2030s.
The legislative effort follows the Defense Ministry’s public notice of a draft bill in July. That proposal described the Jang Bogo N project as a plan to build at least three conventionally armed, nuclear-propelled attack submarines of about 8,000 tons. It said the vessels would use high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent.
The earlier draft also sought to draw a clear legal line between nuclear propulsion and nuclear weapons. It stated that the program was not intended to develop, manufacture or possess nuclear arms and committed South Korea to avoiding any diversion of nuclear material. Provisions called for compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, and standards protecting the public and environment from radioactive materials.
Those safeguards are central to the bill because the project spans both defense acquisition and civilian nuclear-safety law. Existing statutes were considered insufficient to govern all aspects of a weapons platform powered by a nuclear reactor.
Cabinet approval does not itself authorize construction or guarantee the government’s timetable. Lawmakers will now examine the proposed framework, including how nuclear materials, reactor safety, procurement and operational oversight would be managed. Passage would provide the statutory foundation for the government to continue design, research and implementation work under a unified set of rules.