South Korea launches its first missile-capable submarine
President Moon plugged ‘peace through power’ at the launching ceremony, which came a week before his next talks with Kim Jong-un
South Korea launched its first ever missile-capable attack submarine on Friday, despite a recent diplomatic thaw with the nuclear-armed North.
The US$700 million, 3,000-tonne Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine is capable of firing both cruise and ballistic missiles and the first of three planned diesel-electric boats to go into service in the next five years.
It represents a “leap forward” in the country’s defence industry, President Moon Jae-in told a launch ceremony at the Daewoo shipyard where it was designed and built.
Moon will head to Pyongyang next week for a third summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un, as US-led efforts to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons have stalled.
“We have set off on a grand journey towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” Moon said. “But peace is not given gratuitously. Peace through power is the unwavering security strategy of this government.”