[Chungraon = Associate Editor-in-Chief Dongseop David Yeo] The United States Navy has been stretched thin across the seven seas. The Navy’s 49 submarines have been deployed all around the world as the US continues its role as the “global peacekeeper,” but as rival nations such as China and Russia continue to develop their fleets and military technology, it is becoming increasingly challenging for the US to stay on the apex of naval warfare.
As one of the US’s many militarily allied nations, South Korea has stepped up with a plan to assist the US Navy. During the 2025 APEC Summit hosted in Gyeongju, South Korea, President Trump of the US visited in order to discuss with Asian political leaders the future of collaborative development. It is here where Korea’s president Lee Jae-myung first brought up the possibility of Korea beginning its production of nuclear-powered submarines, which President Trump greatly agreed with, saying, “I have given them approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, rather than the old-fashioned and far less nimble diesel-powered submarines that they have now.”
Korean experts and defense companies have announced that they already acquired the technology necessary to build the nuclear-powered submarines and had been only waiting for US approval.
The main reason behind Korea’s pursuit of the nuclear-powered submarines, more professionally known as SSNs, was to augment the existing fleet of diesel-powered submarines while keeping up with the military technology race between China, North Korea, and Japan. North Korean and Chinese authorities have expressed their concerns with Korea’s development of SSNs, as they would significantly boost South Korea’s ability to address military conflicts as well as expand their influence around conflicted regions and territories.
The US has announced that they would fulfill their president’s word, and while the full congressional authorization and collaboration process would need more time, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that his department would work closely with the departments of State and Energy in order to fully establish the US’s approval of South Korea’s SSNs.
The delay between the official US approval for SSNs hasn’t stalled South Korea’s progress, however. Earlier this year in October, South Korea announced the launch of its 3600-ton Jang Yeongsil, which authorities claim is the world’s best diesel-powered submarine.
Though it is still limited as a diesel-powered submarine, the Jang Yeongsil was newly equipped with lithium-ion batteries, which enable longer submergence times as well as longer sustaining of maximum-speed maneuverability when compared to the orthodox lead-acid batteries.
North Korea’s state media, the Korean Central News Agency, has asserted that South Korea’s continued advancement of weaponry could only be seen as an intentional increasing of tensions between the two, saying, “This is bound to cause a nuclear domino phenomenon in the region and spark a hot arms race.”
Similarly, China has urged caution and restraint for Korea, as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakan commented, “China hopes that both South Korea and the United States will earnestly fulfil their nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do things that promote regional peace and stability, not the opposite.”
/Dongseop David Yeo
