President Lee orders acceleration of Jangbogo-N nuclear submarine program as draft law is introduced

President Lee Jae-myung directed the Ministry of National Defense on August 18, 2026 to speed up development of the Jangbogo-N nuclear-powered attack submarine, days after DAPA established dedicated program organizations on August 12 using the KSS-III development team. In parallel, Seoul introduced draft legislation to provide the legal and institutional framework for building indigenous nuclear-powered submarines, including fuel supply and safety oversight. The moves follow DAPA's pledge in its second-half policy report to finalize the Jangbogo-N business plan within 2026, with a first boat targeted for the mid-2030s. The President also reaffirmed plans to complete the wartime operational control transfer during his term.