South Korea confirms plan for nuclear-powered subs

May 26, 2026

Summary

Seoul confirmed plans for nuclear-powered submarines, a move with implications for its navy, U.S. ties, and regional security.

Why this matters

The project would mark a major shift in South Korea’s naval posture and defense industry, while testing how Seoul balances military modernization with nonproliferation commitments. It also reflects broader security concerns involving North Korea and the wider region.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense published a plan Tuesday to develop nuclear-powered submarines under the Jang Bogo N Project, a long-discussed effort that would expand the country’s naval capabilities and place it among a small group of nations operating such vessels.

The ministry said the submarines would offer “dramatically enhanced operational capabilities” over South Korea’s diesel-electric fleet, including effectively unlimited range and higher mobility. It said the boats “will play a core role in responding to threats such as North Korea’s submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats.”

South Korea has discussed nuclear-powered submarines since at least 2003, but the plan had faced opposition, including from the United States, over proliferation concerns. In October, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had approved the plan, saying, “Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble diesel powered submarines that they have now.”

Trump also said some boats would be built in the United States. South Korea’s ministry did not mention that possibility and emphasized domestic development, though the United States could still play a role in propulsion-related support. Last year, South Korea’s defense minister said the country would build its own submarines and modular reactors, while receiving enriched uranium fuel from the United States. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said South Korea was already developing small nuclear reactors.

The fuel issue is significant because a bilateral agreement bars South Korea from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel without U.S. approval. The announcement indicates Washington has approved the project.

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A former Montessori private school teacher in Beaufort County and former substitute in the public school system was charged with unlawful communication with a child, according to police.

Kalen Faye Wolfe, 47, of Hilton Head Island, was charged Friday with criminal solicitation of a minor and procuring or promoting obscenity, both felonies, according to arrest records.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office began investigating March 27 after a witness reported the allegation, agency spokesperson Staff Sgt. Robert Herlong said. Wolfe’s arrest warrants were issued Thursday, and she turned herself in Friday, he said.

Herlong declined to provide the nature of the allegations, the date of the alleged crime, or the victim’s age. He said investigators were still determining whether the case was connected to Wolfe’s work as an educator and whether any students were affected.

Wolfe’s contract with May River Montessori ended July 31, 2025, and there has been “no further communication” between her and the school since then, according to Catherine Donaldson, chair of the school’s board of trustees. Donaldson said the school had no further comment Tuesday.

Wolfe also worked at Sea Pines Montessori Academy before its 2025 merger with Hilton Head Preparatory School.

Under South Carolina law, criminal solicitation of a minor involves an adult contacting a minor “with the intent of persuading … or coercing” the child to participate in sexual activity or a violent crime. Procuring or promoting obscenity involves disseminating obscene material through writing, images, digital files, or performances that lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
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The office said it received 647 applications by the March 1 deadline. Of those, 555 met compliance requirements and were reviewed, and 463 departments were approved for funding.

Departments requested $14.3 million statewide. The agency awarded $12,035,247.73, with an average grant of $25,994.05. Departments could request up to $40,000.

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The grants will also fund 21 capital improvement projects, including six new construction projects and five department additions. The money will help departments buy 13 apparatus trucks: three service or equipment trucks, four pumpers, and six brush trucks.
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The Coast Guard, Honolulu Ocean Safety, and the Honolulu Fire Department said they continued searching for Anthony Empting, 56, who has been missing since Saturday.

Empting was last seen leaving Haleiwa Harbor on Saturday morning on a jet ski. Later that morning, a boater found a vacant jet ski believed to belong to him off Dillingham Airfield in Waialua.

Honolulu Ocean Safety responded to a 10:15 a.m. call Saturday and found keys in the ignition, along with a life jacket and personal items on the personal watercraft, but no sign of Empting.

The search ended Saturday evening and resumed at first light Sunday.

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By 3 p.m., 44,600 people had voted in person, nearly double the previous single-day primary early-voting record of just over 23,000 set on the final day of early voting in June 2024, according to the State Election Commission. The agency had also received nearly 4,200 mailed absentee ballots.

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U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s only Democrat in Congress, voted Tuesday in Orangeburg County. His 6th District was central to the redistricting debate. The proposed map would have moved his home in Santee into the 2nd District, potentially putting him in a general election contest with U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. Clyburn said he would file in whatever district includes his Orangeburg County home.

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Taiwan’s coast guard said in a Sunday news release that the 5,500-ton Chinese patrol vessel CCG-3501 was spotted heading toward Dongsha on Saturday morning.

Taiwan’s 1,000-ton patrol vessel Taichung approached after the Chinese ship entered waters Taiwan claims from 12 to 24 nautical miles offshore, the release said.

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“The Chinese vessel arrogantly claimed that China has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Dongsha Islands,” Taiwan’s coast guard said of a Chinese radio message.

The Taiwanese vessel broadcast back: “Your actions prove that China’s peace is a scam. The international community will not support you. Please do not destroy peace; you should return and fight for democracy.”

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South Korea confirms plan for nuclear-powered subs

The ministry said construction could take up to 10 years. It did not provide a production timeline or say how many would be built.

Full story +

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense published a plan Tuesday to develop nuclear-powered submarines under the Jang Bogo N Project, a long-discussed effort that would expand the country’s naval capabilities and place it among a small group of nations operating such vessels.

The ministry said the submarines would offer “dramatically enhanced operational capabilities” over South Korea’s diesel-electric fleet, including effectively unlimited range and higher mobility. It said the boats “will play a core role in responding to threats such as North Korea’s submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats.”

South Korea has discussed nuclear-powered submarines since at least 2003, but the plan had faced opposition, including from the United States, over proliferation concerns. In October, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had approved the plan, saying, “Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble diesel powered submarines that they have now.”

Trump also said some boats would be built in the United States. South Korea’s ministry did not mention that possibility and emphasized domestic development, though the United States could still play a role in propulsion-related support. Last year, South Korea’s defense minister said the country would build its own submarines and modular reactors, while receiving enriched uranium fuel from the United States. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said South Korea was already developing small nuclear reactors.

The fuel issue is significant because a bilateral agreement bars South Korea from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel without U.S. approval. The announcement indicates Washington has approved the project.
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The strikes hit Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Tuesday.

After the strikes, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon, including for Mashghara, Sahmar, and the city of Nabatieh.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River. Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities or military equipment is putting their life at risk!” Adraee posted on X.

Israeli fighter jets also struck an area between Tayrdebba and Maarake in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said it hit more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and fighters in the Bekaa Valley and across southern Lebanon.

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Middle East

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Iranian authorities partially restored internet access Tuesday after an almost three-month shutdown imposed during the war with Israel and the United States, according to internet monitor NetBlocks, a senior official, and people inside the country.

“Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88,” NetBlocks said on X. The group added that it was “unclear” whether this marked a permanent end to what it called the “longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history.”

Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on X that the “first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” adding that the demands of Iranians “will be fulfilled.”

State news agencies IRNA and Fars said “full international internet connectivity has been restored” for fixed broadband users, but NetBlocks had not confirmed that. People inside Iran told AFP that mobile internet remained cut while home Wi-Fi had returned, though virtual private networks, or VPNs, were still needed to access some social media sites.

The shutdown began when war erupted on Feb. 28. It followed a similar blackout imposed from Jan. 8 as Iran faced mass anti-government protests.

Iran’s judiciary earlier Tuesday suspended a presidential body created May 12 that had ordered the restoration. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the body decided Monday to “restore the internet” in Iran.