Nuclear submarines, which are propelled by nuclear power generated from small on-board nuclear reactors, can remain underwater much longer than conventional submarines propelled by diesel generators and are a strategic weapon carrying with them strategic significance second only to aircraft carriers. Moreover, since nuclear-powered submarines use low grade nuclear fuel, like nuclear power stations, they do not violate Korea’s non-nuclear Korean Peninsula pledge of 1991. A high government official said Sunday that he knows the Ministry of Defense and Navy have been actively considering independently building nuclear-powered submarines since last May. He said that this was linked to efforts to build an independent defense in order to insure the nation’s independent right to survive amidst threats from surrounding great powers after unification. To do this, the Navy assembled a 30-man team last June and is currently spurring on concrete designs and construction plans. Military authorities are now considering plans to start building the subs in 2007, following a period of general planning lasting from this year until 2006. The plans call for a number of subs to be deployed at two or three year intervals, starting in 2012.

There are only five countries that currently build and possess nuclear-powered submarines -- the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, and China. If Korea builds nuclear submarines, it will become the sixth; such a development would be expected to make waves internationally as Japan and China respond. In fact, it’s known that the United States got wind of this information at the end of last year, and USFK and intelligence officials are still trying to grasp the exact details and background information.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense held a press conference on this Monday, during which it denied reports that it was considering the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines after 2012 in response to security threats from neighboring countries like Japan and China. Weon Jang-hwan, the Defense Ministry’s Acquisitions Policy Advisor, said that because the Navy currently has nine 209 Class (1200t) subs and is planning to launch three 214 Class subs (1800t) by 2007, the service can sufficiently carry out independent missions in the seas around the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, when one reflects on the cases of other countries with nuclear submarines like the United States, he said, there doesn’t appear to be enough reason for Korea to possess them, and because of the Korean Peninsula non-nuclear declaration, practically speaking, it would be impossible to build them without the prior consent of the IAEA. He said that electric and diesel power was enough to propel submarines of up to 3500t, and there was no reason why Korea should develop its own nuclear-powered submarines while violating even the North-South non-nuclear declaration. (Yu Yong-won, kysu@chosun.com )