S. Korea signs deal with Daewoo Shipbuilding to build new submarine

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- The arms procurement agency said Friday it has signed a 985.7 billion won (US$853 million) deal with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. to build a new 3,600-ton-class submarine with improved defense capabilities.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed the contract Thursday for the second unit of three Changbogo-III Batch-II class submarines that South Korea plans to build by 2029. Construction of the first unit began just last month.

Carrying 50 crewmembers aboard, the 89-meter-long and 9.6-meter-wide submarine will be equipped with improved combat capabilities to better detect and target enemies and partially powered by a lithium battery, the agency said.

It will be designed with nearly 80 percent of its component parts made locally.

The deal comes a month after the Navy received the country's first 3,000-ton-class indigenous submarine, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, capable of firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, also constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding, was the first of three 3,000-ton-class submarines South Korea plans to build by 2023.

"With world-class capabilities, the new submarine will play a key role as a strategic asset of our country to counter security threats from all directions," R. Adm. Jeon Yong-kyu heading the submarine project at the agency said.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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