Defense ministry seeks talks with US on nuclear-powered sub fuel, aiming to conclude in 2 years

USS Vermont (SSN-792), Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the United States Navy, approaches Busan Naval Operations Base of the Republic of Korea Fleet Command in Busan, Sept. 23, 2024. Newsis

The defense ministry said Thursday it will seek to hold negotiations with the United States to gain access to fuel to build nuclear-powered submarines, with the aim of completing the envisioned talks within two years.

The ministry outlined the plan during a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung earlier in the day, as Korea's push for nuclear-powered submarines has gained momentum with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

Granting access to nuclear fuel for submarines requires a revision of a bilateral nuclear energy agreement between Korea and the U.S., but Korean officials have hinted at a standalone deal.

Under the plan, the ministry will draw up a detailed blueprint next year covering Korea's principles for developing nuclear-powered submarines, construction plans and its stance on nuclear nonproliferation.

It also plans to establish a pangovernment body to designate the project as a national strategic initiative, while preparing safety regulations and ordinances related to the use of nuclear reactors in submarines.

The ministry also vowed to make progress in Seoul's push to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S., which the Lee administration seeks to achieve before the end of its five-year term in 2030.

The Korean military aims to complete the second part of a three-stage program to assess Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces by the next annual defense chiefs' meeting between the two countries, scheduled for November 2026.

During last month's Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed to seek certification of "full operational capability" — the second stage of the assessment — next year and to develop a road map to expedite the OPCON transfer.

Korea handed over operational control of its troops to the U.S.-led U.N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to the two allies' Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978. Wartime OPCON still remains in U.S. hands, while Korea retook peacetime OPCON in 1994.