Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, second from left, delivers a briefing on the country's basic plan for the nuclear-powered submarine program, dubbed the Jang Bogo N program, durnig a defense strategy meeting in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, May 26. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog
The defense ministry and the arms procurement agency will launch new divisions responsible for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program this week, as the country seeks to accelerate its push to build the military vessels, ministry officials said Tuesday.
A policy and planning division for the Jang Bogo N program will be created under the ministry to oversee its development and take the lead in cooperation with relevant agencies, the ministry said in a release.
The reorganization plan was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day and it is set to formally take effect Friday.
The new division will be responsible for tasks aimed at establishing legal and institutional frameworks for nuclear fuel use through consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog overseeing international safeguards for nuclear energy use.
