Securing powerful weapons is Moon's primary goal

By Jun Ji-hye

The government is moving in earnest to enhance the nation’s own defense capabilities as President Moon Jae-in vowed to do better in dealing with North Korean threats and ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The ongoing efforts include pushing to build the nuclear-powered submarines and lift the limit on the maximum weight of a warhead to be mounted on an 800-kilometer range ballistic missile.

Supporters for these efforts say having their own nuclear submarines would be the only way to counter threats from North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). They also say increasing the payload of the missile arsenal would bolster Seoul’s capability of striking Pyongyang’s underground bunker facilities in which the North Korean leadership would hide in the event of war.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said on a live news show Wednesday, “I think the time is ripe for us to review a plan to build the nuclear-powered submarines.”

The comment was in line with what President Moon vowed during the presidential campaign. At the time, Moon said “we need nuclear submarines in this era,” and toward that end, “I will discuss the revision of the nuclear cooperation deal between South Korea and the United States.”

The deal, revised in 2015, allows Seoul to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent when using U.S. ingredients, but disallows uranium enrichment for military purposes.

When Moon held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month to discuss the mounting military tension here, he also broadly mentioned the need for the nation to have these subs.

In 2003, the Roh Moo-hyun government, for which Moon served as presidential chief of staff, secretly pushed for building the nuclear submarines and deploying three by 2020. But this plan was dropped after it was leaked to the media and caused protests from neighboring countries.

Calls for developing nuclear subs were reignited last year mostly by conservative politicians after North Korea successfully launched a SLBM from underwater in April of that year.

To increase the warhead’s weight, President Moon ordered his security aides to begin discussions with the United States to amend the two countries’ 2012 revision of missile guidelines after the North test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, July 28.

The 2012 revision allows Seoul to extend the maximum range of its ballistic missiles from 300 kilometers to 800 kilometers. But the payload is not allowed to exceed 500 kilograms when mounted on this missile.

The government was originally seeking to double the maximum weight of the warhead to 1 ton from the current 500 kilograms, but this plan has been changed to put no limit on the missile payload, according to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin.

Gen. Lee told a National Assembly session, Monday, that discussions between Seoul and Washington are ongoing to allow Korea to increase the weight of a warhead without any restriction.

Military officials said the payload increase will strengthen Seoul’s overall deterrence capabilities as the missile’s penetration capability will be significantly improved.