A South Korea-based think tank recommends the country model its nuclear attack submarine after the French Barracuda-class submarine because it is powered by low-enriched uranium. (DCNS)
The Warzone/The Drive: Why Would The South Korean Navy Be Eyeing A Nuclear Submarine Capability?
A nuclear boat would offer significant additional capabilities for the service, but could come at a high cost, practically and politically.
South Korea’s Navy is looking into the practical and political feasibility of domestic design and production of a nuclear-powered submarine. The study comes amid heightened tensions with North Korea and concerns about that country’s own submarine-launched ballistic missile developments, but could further strain relationships on the Peninsula and beyond and could prove to be technically complex and expensive without a clear imperative to develop such a boat in the first place.
According to Defense News, in October 2017, the South Korean Navy hired Seoul-based think tank the Korea Defense Network (KDN) to conduct a five-month long study of possible designs. The final report recommended developing a nuclear attack submarine akin the France’s Barracuda-class.
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Update: South Korea eyes French design for indigenous nuclear sub, sources say (Defense News)
WNU Editor: This is just a feasibility study .... but with joint Korean talks about to begin, the timing of this study could not have come at a worse time.
