AFP, SEOUL: South Korea has formed a research team to build 3,500-tonne new submarines as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on US firepower, military officials said Monday.
Some 1.7 billion won has been set aside for a two-year study to develop the new submarines but no decision has been made yet on how they will be powered, the defense ministry said.
The plan was unveiled after the newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that South Korea was considering the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines from 2012.
Won Jang-Hwan, head of the ministry's arms procurement bureau, said diesel engines were being considered to power 3,500-tonne submarines.
“There is no need to develop nuclear-powered submarines,” Won told reporters.
South Korea has nine 1,200-tonne submarines and plans to deploy three 1,800-tonne vessels from 2007, all with diesel or diesel-electric engines designed by a German firm.
Under a military alliance with the United States, American nuclear-powered submarines patrol the Korean peninsula.
