South Korea to develop domestically designed nuclear-powered submarines by mid-2030s

Exam-focused facts from the 27 May 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

South Korea's Ministry of Defense (MOD) unveiled a Basic Plan to launch a domestically designed and built nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-2030s.
The project is named Jangbogo, in honour of the country's first submarine commissioned in 1993.
South Korea aims to join the six nations that have deployed nuclear submarines: United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France, and India.
The submarines will utilise low-enriched uranium and are developed as a response to North Korea's submarine-based nuclear and missile threats.
The domestic submarine programme began in 2012 in partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean).