South Korea to write nuclear nonproliferation into submarine law

South Korea's Ministry of Defense is moving to explicitly prohibit the diversion of nuclear fuel intended for submarines to the development of nuclear weapons. This legislative initiative appears to be a direct response to international proliferation concerns surrounding the nation's burgeoning nuclear-powered submarine program.

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The ministry is establishing the legal and institutional foundation needed to ensure the stable implementation of the nuclear-powered submarine programme. The proposed special act is part of that effort.

The ministry intends to issue a legislative notice for the proposed Bill as early as July 29. Officials stated that the ministry is establishing the necessary legal and institutional framework to ensure the "stable implementation of the nuclear-powered submarine program." The proposed special act is presented as a crucial part of this effort, designed to assuage fears that Seoul's pursuit of nuclear submarines could inadvertently lead to an independent nuclear weapons program or escalate proliferation risks.

If enacted, this legislation would represent South Korea's first explicit statutory prohibition on using nuclear material for the development, manufacture, or possession of nuclear weapons. The bill follows the government's announcement in May of the Jangbogo-N project, its plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a move agreed upon by President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in 2025. The nonproliferation pledge will be a core principle within a special act governing the acquisition, operation, and safety management of these vessels.

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The nonproliferation pledge will be included in a proposed special act governing the acquisition, operation and safety management of nuclear-powered submarines.

According to officials, the draft bill bars submarine fuel from being diverted to nuclear weapons development, production, or possession. It would also mandate South Korea's compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and require cooperation with safeguards and verification procedures conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international bodies. South Korea is recognized as a non-nuclear-weapon state under the NPT, and the government has consistently stated that the planned submarines will be conventionally armed, with their nuclear fuel and reactor technology solely for propulsion.

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The draft Bill sets nonproliferation as a core principle of the programme, barring submarine fuel from being diverted to nuclear weapons development, production or possession, according to officials.