>South Korea officially formalized its multi-decade program to build nuclear-powered submarines on May 26, 2026, by releasing its first definitive national development blueprint.>The Ministry of National Defense targets the mid-2030s for the first launch of a domestic nuclear attack submarine, with full deployment planned by the late 2030s or early 2040s.>The propulsion systems will rely on low-enriched uranium to intentionally align with international non-proliferation standards and utilize long-cycle reactors to minimize the need for fuel replacement.>The project builds upon a late-2025 diplomatic agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, which secured vital American cooperation for the program's nuclear fuel supply.>The administration firmly reiterated that South Korea will not develop nuclear weapons, committing instead to conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines operating under strict oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency.>The primary strategic objective is to counter North Korea's underwater military threats by leveraging the near-limitless submerged endurance of nuclear propulsion to continuously track and neutralize hostile ballistic missile submarines.The reactors and vessels will be fully developed domestically, while only the fuel is provided by the US. How will it change the landscape of security in the region?
>>65186233>How will it change the landscape of security in the region?By forcing Japan to get nuclear subs too
>>65186233They should create a program that will fix their looming demographic crisis instead. Not going to matter how many nuclear subs you have if your population is filled with decrepit dinosaurs and there's not enough young people to man your military.
Remember that after the Korean War, South Korea was on par with the poorest african countries while the US six years before build not just the Iowas and the Essexs but pretty much outbuild all the other navies of in the world combined. Now Korea builds more ships and produce more steel then the US.
>>65186246This is /k/, sir. /pol/ is two blocks down.
>>65186233So they have a 'plan' to be a generation behind the North technologically speaking 'in a decade or two' from now? No wonder Kim formalized a two state solution, who would want these backwards apes? All unification would do is stick the North with useless mouths while lowering the birth rate and national IQ.
>>65186246That’s pretty much every country in Asia though, so it all evens out in the end.
So we got India, Australia, North Korea and now South Korea who are planning/in process of building SSNs. Pakistan wants too but is too poor and Japan is still stuck undoing 70 years of pacificsm. Shame Canada is too cheap too prcure SSNs, imagine a world with Canada, America, UK and Australia all using a common SSN
>>65186364The Nork sub appears to be a SSBN not a SSN.
Koreans seem to be more interested in developing products that can be sold at a high price abroad than in using them for their own military.
>>65186369Oof, India and Norks with SSBNs. How long until the funny hat people get SSBN for their "not nooks"
>>65186270Until the norks start pumping out genetically modified supersoldiers grown in vats
>>65186388I could honestly see that happening, some rogue scientist whose ethics were too shitty even for China would have great opportunities there.
>>65186364>How will it change the landscape of security in the region?Add Brazil to the list.
>>65186383>Koreans seem to be more interested in developing products that can be sold at a high price abroad than in using them for their own military.>>The primary strategic objective is to counter North Korea's underwater military threats by leveraging the near-limitless submerged endurance of nuclear propulsion to continuously track and neutralize hostile ballistic missile submarines.???
>>65186423Brazil>wanted SSN since 2008>did nothing for an entire decade >finally order parts and finalise funding>meant to be launched before the 2030s>gets delayed until the end of the 2030s>all this just for 1 SSNWtf is there problem
>>65186364>Canadathe country that's having such a shortage of soldiers that it's floating the idea of lowering intelligence standards and allowing non-citizens into their military?
>>65186388I was promised genetically engineered catgirls for domestic consumption.
>>65186676They were so close, if the Cold War last just a little longer they couldve locked an SSN program in.
>>65186233Hmm, can't help but n00tice that they finally decided to move forward with the project, after rumors started popping up that ukies sank a zigger cargo loaded with nuke reactors intended for nork subs. Guess the sorks think it's just a matter of time until Kim Jong Fatty gets his hands on one.
Decades means it’s not real and is just a way to get some sort of funding. Were in a defense dark ages right now because no one can afford high end projects anymore.
>>65186246>They should create a program that will fix their looming demographic crisis instead.They did. One company paid like 75K to employees if they had more kids and it worked.
>>65186777Right after that incident Russia started cutting the reactors out of two functional Akulas including the one they leased to India so Kim is getting his reactors so that gives you an idea about how much Russia needs them. Funny enough this means Kim will probably get better reactors than the ones that sank.>A conspiratorially minded person would notice that one of the few nations who have access to Shkval torpedo technology is the DPRK
I personally want them to make a nuclear powered sub for the SLBMs too. Makes my pp hard knowing they’re fielding them
>>65186676Here we see Canada trying to align itself with US military practice and all you do is complain?
>>65187321>SLBMsKSS-III already carries VLS but they're already working on ICBM capable launchers too.
>>65187331I complain, but I voted already.
>>65187365Please just give Worst Korea nukes already. Japan too.
https://www.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2026052708493436667>It has been confirmed that Hanwha Ocean plans to complete the basic design phase for the nuclear-powered submarine development project within this year. The government's announcement that nuclear submarines will be "developed and built domestically in the Republic of Korea" comes as domestic defense shipbuilding companies have already reached about half of the construction stage.>Inside and outside the military, the construction of a small reactor to be mounted on the nuclear submarine is seen as having made significant progress with domestic technology. In the industry, there is speculation that a land-based test facility for the reactor will be built in Gyeongju City. It is known that the reactor construction is being led by ADD, with participation from Doosan Enerbility, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Korea Electric Power Corporation.Apparently, the design is almost complete already.
>>65186233whats the point? all their OPs are like 200 miles away
>>65186364>a world with Canada, America, UK and Australia all using a common SSNMy dick can only get so hard.In the hypothetical scenario I wonder if Canada would end up with the AU/UK model or the US model. AUKUSCAN doesn't quite roll off the tongue, either.
>>65189988They'd build one with an ice rink in it.
>>65187631Japan already has nukes. They just pretend that they don't and everyone plays along because we like them.
>>65186233>south korea wants two carriers to have a functional ship rotation>they also want nuclear subsWho exactly are the gooks trying to defend against? Norks have no hope of invasion and gooks have no hope of defending against a chink invasion. Also what percentage of enriched uranium are they using? Because "low-enriched uranium" sounds retarded when the nuke sub standard is highly enriched.
>>65193548They dont want to get nuked troglodyte, by tailing NK nuke subs they could remove any second (or first) strike capability without being too late and watching SK get gaped by nuclear warheads. It would also give them credible capabilities against both the Chinese and Japanese, which may not seem important, but China would love to cuddle up with SK, and Japan gets the shit stick because worst korea hates them, even if Japan would 100% not fuck with SK without good reason.
>>65193548>gooks have no hope of defending against a chink invasion.Lel. Just like Ukies never had a chance, eh wumao?
>>65196554I guess I'm skeptical of the threat of nork boomer subs, but with the pidors legitimately giving them sub reactors it's definitely a more real future concern than I thought. Late 30s/early 40s is probably a reasonable timeframe to field one before the norks launch theirs, although I'm probably also being ignorant of how much tech transfer and expertise the norks have been given which would accelerate their own program.>>65196803While I'd love to see the chink paper tiger fold, I more doubt the gooks' capability of holding out against a billion zhang zergrush. Even an amphibious zergrush, not that I expect the chinks to start anything with the sorks outside of a Taiwan invasion boogaloo. Would be nice to get rid of those gook religious cults that keep meddling in politics though.
>>65186258Atleast they get to have a low birthrate with style.
>>65186236>By forcing Japan to get nuclear subs tooNah, the other way around as it always is. Japan was looking at SSNs as a possibility all the way back when they were looking to replace the Soryuus. It was just a conceptual study at the time, but now its a lot more serious with the Taigei replacement taking shape which started around 4-5 years ago. It's just that the whole topic of nuclear propulsion is bogged down in politics for Japan, so while they were first to start planning it out leading SK to follow, they have been slow about announcing any details to the public. It's shocking how little Japan thinks about SK when it comes to arms procurement because they have China to worry about and don't have time to create retarded scenario's in there head where they go to war with another US aligned power in the region because the other side is assmad
