SEOUL: South Korea will build its nuclear-powered submarines at home, the defense minister said on Tuesday, with a plan to launch its first vessel in the mid-2030s. Seoul is seeking to bolster deterrence against nuclear-armed North Korea, with the South set to join a small circle of countries that operate nuclear-powered submarines after receiving US approval for the supply of restricted nuclear fuel.

S. Korea is preparing to publicly unveil a development roadmap for a nuclear-powered attack submarine program after the successful Pacific deployment.

South Korea has unveiled a road map to launch its first domestically built nuclear submarine in the mid-2030s, while pledging to fulfill its nuclear nonprolifer