The government has reportedly decided to transfer the Republic of Korea Navy's first submarine, the Jang Bogo (SS-I, 1200-ton class, pictured), which is scheduled to retire at the end of this year, to Poland free of charge. This move is interpreted as support for domestic defense companies in securing contracts, as the Polish Navy is set to select a preferred bidder for the 8 trillion KRW 'Orca Project' to introduce three new 3,000-ton submarines as early as the 28th.

According to multiple government sources on the 25th, the government has decided to send the Jang Bogo to Poland once it officially retires after completing its final voyage on the 19th. A letter was recently sent to Poland, and the National Security Council (NSC) has reportedly approved the transfer. It is also known that Kang Hoon-sik, the Chief Presidential Secretary, conveyed this intention during his visit to Poland last month as the President's Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation.

The Jang Bogo began construction at a shipyard in Germany in 1988 and was launched in 1991. The South Korean military acquired it in 1992 and deployed it for operations in June 1994. By this year, it had traveled approximately 633,000 km, equivalent to more than 15 times around the Earth, and completed its final voyage on the 19th. Based on the Jang Bogo, South Korea has actively developed domestic submarines and, with the accumulated technology, recently received approval from the United States to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

The decision to transfer this submarine, a symbol of the advancement of South Korean naval power, is interpreted as an expression of the Lee Jae-myung administration's intention to increase the likelihood of securing submarine contracts while further expanding defense cooperation. In July 2022, Poland signed a comprehensive contract to introduce K-weapons, including 1,000 K2 tanks and approximately 670 K9 self-propelled howitzers, amounting to 44.3 billion USD (approximately 65.2495 trillion KRW). In July this year, Poland signed a second contract for K2 tanks worth around 6.5 billion USD (approximately 9.5752 trillion KRW), the highest amount in the history of K-defense exports for a single weapon system contract, bringing the total accumulated export contracts to 23.2 billion USD (approximately 34.1713 trillion KRW). Poland plays a key role in the current government's national agenda of advancing South Korea as one of the world's top four defense powerhouses.

Popular News