South Korea’s arms agency plans to accelerate nuclear submarine and AI combat work

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said at a parliamentary audit reported on October 13 that it would speed development of nuclear propulsion and prepare a blueprint for building nuclear-powered submarines. The agency also outlined plans for uncrewed combat systems, but gave no revised launch date for the first submarine, according to Yonhap News Agency’s account of the audit.

The announcement places the submarine project alongside a wider set of acquisition priorities as South Korea pursues what the agency calls self-reliant defense. DAPA described work it intends to undertake; the audit account does not report that a nuclear-powered submarine has been built or that the proposed combat systems have entered service.

What DAPA said it would accelerate

For the submarine program, DAPA said it would accelerate development of a nuclear-propulsion system and prepare a construction blueprint. Its October account did not set out a new budget, contract award or detailed procurement schedule for that work. The first vessel remains years away under the public timetable announced in May.

The agency also said it would begin full-scale acquisition of uncrewed surface combat vessels and small attack drones. Its counter-drone plans include networks for front-line border areas, laser air-defense weapons and integrated systems. The audit account identifies these as acquisition and development priorities, without giving delivery dates or saying the proposed systems are operational.

DAPA also said it planned to advance military reconnaissance and communications networks, including small spy satellites and the 425-II military spy-satellite project. The priorities span submarines, air and missile defense, uncrewed systems and surveillance. The October report does not specify when each proposed capability would be delivered.

How the submarine plan reached this point

The October statement follows plans already made public. In an August 5 work report, DAPA said it intended to formulate a nuclear-submarine project plan within 2026 and build on South Korea’s existing submarine-development capabilities. That report also identified unmanned systems and counter-drone acquisitions as priorities, providing a record of the agency’s direction before the parliamentary audit.

The submarine project was named Jang Bogo N in the May public roadmap reported by Yonhap. The stated goal was to launch a first nuclear-powered submarine in the mid-2030s and put it into operational service in the latter half of that decade or later. DAPA’s October announcement did not replace that timetable with an earlier date.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said in May that the submarines would be developed domestically and use low-enriched uranium enriched to below 20 percent. Yonhap reported that a US–South Korea summit agreement supported work on program requirements, including possible avenues for fuel. Those statements concern the planned program; they do not establish that a submarine or its propulsion system is ready.

Why South Korea is pursuing the program

The May roadmap presented the submarine initiative as a response to North Korean nuclear and missile threats. It cited longer submerged endurance and greater mobility as expected advantages of nuclear propulsion. Those are stated aims for a vessel that has not yet been built, rather than demonstrated results from the South Korean program.

DAPA placed its October priorities within a broader self-reliant defense roadmap, amid South Korea’s efforts to assume wartime operational control from the United States and address North Korea’s changing military threats. Its list covers both development work, such as submarine propulsion and jet engines, and intended acquisition of uncrewed and counter-drone systems. The audit account does not assign common deadlines to those different programs.

What remains unconfirmed

The October report provides no overall cost, contract status or detailed schedules for the accelerated work. Those details will determine how DAPA’s stated priorities translate into specific procurement and development milestones.