In response to the recent North Korean Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) test, some are advocating for the ROK to develop nuclear powered submarines:
The need for South Korea to possess a nuclear-powered submarine is increasing as the country moves to counter North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) threat, military experts here said Friday.
They are emphasizing the necessity for Seoul to acquire a submarine with far greater endurance than conventional diesel-electric counterparts after North Korea test-fired an SLBM that flew about 500 kilometers earlier this week. This provocation, which is viewed as a “successful” launch, has fueled concerns about technical improvements in the reclusive country’s missile programs that can threaten global security.
Once a submarine goes underwater, it is hard to track. This makes it very difficult to determine when an SLBM will be launched, which can hinder a timely and effective response.
Many observers have said the best way to counter SLBM threats is to pre-emptively attack the missile-armed submarine in the event of an emergency situation.
If an SLBM is capable of carrying a small nuclear warhead, it can pose a formidable threat, as the North would be able to hit targets theoretically from anywhere with little warning, experts said. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I think the ROK should consider developing nuclear submarines as well as their own advanced SLBM technology to not only put pressure on North Korea, but China as well. Anti-submarine warfare is something that the Chinese are far behind in and a neighboring country developing their own advanced submarine technology will only further expose this Chinese weakness. This would put further pressure on China to stop North Korea’s constant provocations against the ROK.
Condolences to the families of these ROK sailors killed this week in what appears to be a horrible accident:
Three South Korean sailors were killed and another seriously injured in an apparent gas explosion Tuesday at a southeastern naval base, military officials said.
The blast occurred about 8:30 a.m. when the men were trying to open the hatch of a midget submarine undergoing repairs at South Korea’s Jinhae naval base, the officials said. The force of the blast tossed one of the sailors into the water.
Military authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, but it appears to have been an accumulation of gas in the hull, the officials said. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link.
This test may not seem like much, but it is actually pretty significant because for the first time Japanese and South Korean naval ships were working together to share radar data as part of a missile defense exercise:
The US military said the drills, called Pacific Dragon, would enhance the “already strong relationship of all three nations participating”.
No missiles were fired, said the US Third Fleet, but each country tested its Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and tested communications and data collection.
The Aegis system allows warships to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles while they are still in space, before there is any danger of causing any damage.
North Korea is banned by UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. [BBC]
You can read more at the link.
The crew members of South Korea’s Aegis-equipped destroyer, the King Sejong the Great, pose aboard the decommissioned USS Missouri in Hawaii on June 17, 2016. The battleship participated in World War II and the Korean War (1950-53). The South Korean Navy dispatched the destroyer to join the U.S.-led multilateral maritime warfare exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) set to be held from June 30 to Aug. 4. (Yonhap)
The ROK has decided that it needs to keep up with the Kims and develop their own SLBM technology:
The South Korean Military is developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), a high-ranking military official said.
“On the 3,000-ton Jangbogo-III submarine, which is currently under production, we are installing a vertical launching pad,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. SLBMs are fired undersea and are therefore difficult to detect by radar. He added, “The installation of a vertical launching pad indicates that the SLBM is already under development.” The official also went on to say that the SLBM is being developed under the aegis of the Agency of Defense Development and is expected to be completed by 2020.
The South Korean Navy’s arsenal currently includes the submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM). However, as North Korea’s endeavor to develop SLBM technology has almost reached completion, the need within the South Korean military to initiate a response has become urgent. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but I would think this is another military development by the ROK caused by North Korea that China cannot be too happy about considering its potential implications to deter aggressive behavior by the Chinese regime as well.
Lt. Cdr. Lee Sung-chun, a member of the 20th contingent of the 300-member Cheonghae Unit, lifts his daughter into the air in joy after a ceremony at a naval base in the southeastern port city of Busan on May 20, 2016, to mark the unit’s return from a six-month mission to combat piracy aboard the destroyer Choi Young off the coast of Somalia. (Yonhap)
It seems to me that the ROK Navy does have a point here because if these protesters were conducting illegal actions that caused cost overruns why should the Korean taxpayer be on the hook for this?:
The South Korean Navy is demanding damages from local groups and residents in Jeju Island for “taxpayer losses” incurred by their opposition to the construction of a new naval base.The groups targeted include the village association of Gangjeong in the city of Seogwipo.“On Mar. 28, we filed a suit with Seoul Central District Court for the exercise of indemnity rights for the Jeju multi-purpose port complex,” the Navy announced in a press release on Mar. 29.“The purpose of this exercise of indemnity rights is to hold those responsible accountable for losses in taxpayer money from among the additional costs of 27.5 billion won (US$23.8 million) incurred due to the [14-month] delay in the port’s construction period owing to illegal obstruction of operations,” it added.
The total compensation claim amounted to 3.4 billion won (US$2.9 million) of the additional costs, with the Gangjeong village association listed among the defendants alongside five groups and 117 residents and activities who took action to oppose the naval base construction.Last year, Samsung C&T demanded 36 billion won (US$31.2 million) in compensation from the Navy for delays in the construction schedule; a figure of 27.5 billion won (US$23.8 million) was finally settled on after mediation by the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board. Mediation is currently under way for Daelim Construction’s claim for 23 billion won (US$19.9 million) in compensation. [Hankyoreh]
You can read more at the link.
President Park Geun-hye (C) offers a silent prayer in front of a monument to fallen soldiers killed in North Korea’s 2010 shelling attack on the border island of Yeonpyeong, at a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon on March 25, 2016, before attending a ceremony to commemorate South Korean soldiers killed in three major clashes with North Korea in the Yellow Sea. The government has designated the fourth Friday of March as the commemoration day for fallen soldiers in those clashes, including the North’s torpedoing of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in 2010, which killed 46 sailors. (Yonhap)
Family members of the 46 South Korean sailors killed in a North Korean torpedo attack in March 2010 offer a silent tribute at the National Cemetery in Daejeon, central South Korea, on March 5, 2016. (Yonhap)
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (C, 1st row), Defense Minister Han Min-koo (3rd from L, 1st row) and other participants pose for a photo during a tour of the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, at the new civilian-military naval base on Jeju Island on Feb. 26, 2016, in this photo released by the Navy. The tour came after a ceremony marking the base’s launch. The base opened 23 years after it was first initiated to serve as docks for warships and cruise ships and to host forces to quickly respond to any hostile activities in nearby waters. The base construction has been opposed for years by local residents and activist groups who cite environmental damage and the buildup of regional military tensions. (Yonhap)
