[Edaily Reporter kim kwanyong ] The government will establish separate organizations within the Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to oversee the development of South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarines. This “two-track” system will see the Ministry of National Defense handle policy and institutional matters—including the enactment of special legislation and international consultations on nuclear fuel utilization—while DAPA will be responsible for submarine design and construction, as well as the development of core technologies, including nuclear reactors.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced that amendments to the “Organization Act of the Ministry of National Defense and Its Affiliated Agencies” and the “Organization Act of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Its Affiliated Agencies,” containing these provisions, were approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 11th. The amended organizational structures will take effect on the 14th.

The Ministry of National Defense will expand and reorganize the existing “Nuclear-Powered Submarine Acquisition Promotion Team,” a division-level organization, into the “Nuclear-Powered Submarine Policy Planning Unit,” a bureau-level organization reporting directly to the Vice Minister. The Planning Division will oversee the enactment of a special law concerning the acquisition, operation, and safety management of nuclear-powered submarines, as well as consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the establishment of a foundation for nuclear fuel utilization, and the development of a nuclear safety regulatory framework.

The head of the unit will also be elevated from the director-general level to Grade Na of the Senior Civil Service. According to the amendment previously announced for public comment, the unit will consist of a total of 21 members and will operate on a temporary basis for three years, until August 14, 2029. It will include an Officer for Policy Communication, an Officer for International Cooperation, and an Officer for Defense Nuclear Safety.

Notably, civil servants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Korea Radioactive Waste Management Corporation, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will participate, effectively making it a pan-governmental consultative body. This measure reflects the fact that the development of nuclear-powered submarines is not merely a weapons acquisition project for the Ministry of National Defense and the Navy, but a national strategic initiative that integrates foreign affairs, non-proliferation, nuclear safety, and industrial policy.

DAPA will expand and reorganize the “Korean Submarine Project Division” under the Future Capabilities Division into the “Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Division.” This restructuring will maintain existing functions related to the management of conventional submarine projects while adding responsibilities for the research and development, acquisition, and contract management of nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear propulsion systems.

Within the project division, a “Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Team,” responsible for the entire process of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines, and a “Nuclear Propulsion System Project Team,” tasked with developing core propulsion technologies including reactors, will be newly established. The staff will be expanded by 17 personnel, and the division’s term will be extended from the end of this year to August 14, 2029.

This reorganization is seen as establishing the basic framework for a policy and project management organization that will translate the “Basic Plan for the Development of South Korea’s Nuclear-Powered Submarines,” announced last May, into actual projects. However, the establishment of a dedicated organization does not immediately signify that all conditions for the development of nuclear-powered submarines have been met. Key challenges—such as consultations with the United States and the IAEA, methods for utilizing nuclear fuel, and the establishment of an independent nuclear safety regulatory system—remain to be addressed.

An “Intelligence and Security Policy Director,” who will oversee and supervise military intelligence agencies directly under the Vice Minister of National Defense, will also be newly established. The Intelligence and Security Policy Director will be responsible for guiding and supervising military intelligence agencies, including the Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters, as well as formulating policies in the areas of intelligence, security, and counterintelligence—tasks that were previously delegated to units directly under the Ministry of National Defense.

According to the draft legislation, the Director of Information Security Policy will be appointed from the Grade Na category of senior civil servants, and a total of 25 personnel, including four deputy directors, will be assigned to the office. The aim is to strengthen the Ministry of National Defense’s civilian control and democratic oversight functions by separating the operational duties of military intelligence agencies from policy formulation.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) stated, “Based on this organizational reinforcement, we will expedite the development of nuclear-powered submarines and, through democratic control over military intelligence agencies, create an environment where each agency can focus on its core missions.”