Assembly floats 1st special bill to support nuclear submarine

Opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly on Thursday proposed a special bill to support South Korea's production of nuclear-powered attack submarines, which would involve cooperation with Washington on securing nuclear propulsion technology.

The bill stipulates that a special presidential committee be set up to ensure the lengthy process of nuclear submarine construction, which would be unaffected by a power transition in the future.

The bill also aims to consolidate the process for licensing and safety inspection, and at the same time ensure adherence to the nuclear nonproliferation agreement. Eased budget rules on nuclear submarine projects and unlimited state reimbursement for damages in the case of a potential nuclear reactor accident are also part of the bill.

It was the first special bill concerning nuclear-powered submarines to emerge at the National Assembly.

The bill comes as the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration is in the process of devising its own special bill. The Ministry of National Defense is to collect opinions about its bill by Sept. 7, which will be followed by the proposal of its own draft.

The US Senate's Armed Service Commitment, meanwhile, is assessing the feasibility of such a bilateral project.

The key to the bill is for South Korea’s commitment to nonproliferation and shipbuilding capability to be preemptively reflected in US policy directives, according to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the People Power Party, who led the legislation with the support of 30 right-leaning sponsors.

"It will be too late to come up with a bill after the results of the US review are released," Yu said in a briefing to reporters at the National Assembly.

"We must persuade the US government and its public that our nuclear-powered submarines will not merely serve to counter North Korea, but also become a strategic asset of the alliance that will reinforce the combined defense capabilities of South Korea and the US and contribute to maritime security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

South Korea is moving to be added to the list of countries employing nuclear submarine technology, along with China, France, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US, as at least three 8,000-ton nuclear submarines are reported as in line to be built in South Korea by the mid-2030s.

Bilateral cooperation for nuclear submarine technology was part of the joint fact sheet unveiled last year on the occasion of a summit between Lee and US President Donald Trump.

Yu described South Korea as "the optimal partner to fill supply chain gaps and achieve nuclear fuel cooperation with the US."