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The 3,000-tonne diesel-electric submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho at its launching ceremony on the southern island of Geoje on September 14, 2018. Photo: AFP

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

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.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the launch ceremony. Photo: EPA

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.

With China and the US invested in a divided Korean peninsula, South Korean president Moon Jae-in is on his own as peacemaker

“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.”

The new submarine is fitted with six vertical launch tubes and features indigenous sonar and combat management systems.

The 3,000-tonne diesel-electric submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho at its launching ceremony on the southern island of Geoje on September 14, 2018. Photo: AFP

Aside from the new vessels, South Korea has an existing fleet of 18 smaller submarines, all built with cooperation from Germany.

According to the defence ministry, the North has 70 ageing submarines and submersibles, and Yonhap news agency reported that it has also developed a new 2,500-tonne submarine fitted with a vertical launch system.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: South launches missile-capable sub
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