SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) — Official procedures have begun for a possible acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, according to a Navy document presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), while negotiations with the United States on this subject show few signs of progress.
It was MP Kang Dae-sik of the People Power Party, the main opposition party, who today revealed the existence of this document, which justifies the use of such means, describes the number of buildings necessary, their desired capacities as well as an estimate of the timetable for their deployment.
Following a meeting between the presidents of the two countries, the United States gave its approval for the construction of nuclear-powered combat submarines and pledged to collaborate with Seoul on the question of their supply of nuclear fuel.
South Korea would indeed need to sign a special agreement with the United States authorizing it to import nuclear fuel for military use, although it insists that the objective is only defensive in nature and will be consistent with its international non-proliferation obligations.
Seoul also hopes to obtain from the United States a modification of section 123 of the peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement, concluded between the two countries in 1974, to allow it to enrich uranium up to a rate of 20% or to recycle spent nuclear fuel without having to seek official approval from Washington each time. in writing. The government says it needs to act with more independence for these treatments in order to guarantee the energy supply for its nuclear submarines.
The JCS will study the navy’s proposal and is expected to meet before the end of the month to set requirements for the project. Subsequently, this acquisition program will normally go through a phase of preliminary research and feasibility studies, then consultations with the budgetary authorities concerning the total estimate, before entering the development phase itself.
The Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine USS Bremerton in the port of Apra, on the island of Guam, April 16, 2013.
The South Korean army thus seems to want to give new impetus to this project, after several months of waiting to be able to undertake negotiations with Washington on the implementation of the various points of the agreement decided last year.
Allison Hooker, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, will soon visit Seoul to launch bilateral working groups that will work to implement the agreement. This stay suggests the possibility that discussions on the submarine file could move forward.
The army has already carried out a preliminary study on the construction of at least four 5,000-ton nuclear submarines by the end of the 2030s. But the great unknown remains the way in which the army intends to obtain fuel to power the reactors.
The government should in principle soon announce its roadmap for this acquisition program.
fabien@yna.co.kr
(FIN)
