On October 17, 2019 Anonymous provided the following useful and timely comment with links.
The Japanese government will interpret “neighboring countries” to mean NK and Japan and that SK Navy considers Japan as a virtual enemy[2]. This is because the SK Navy would never attack heavily nuclear armed China and Russia.
[1] South Korean Navy "Efforts to secure nuclear submarine ... convenient for North SLBM", Radio Free Asia, October 10, 2019 (in Korean - right-click mouse to translate)
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/ne-hw-10102019083107.html
[2]“Development of an SSN starting in SK before Japan [builds an SSN]” by Jun Kitamura, October 17, 2019, [Japan's] JBpress, (in Japanese) https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/57942?page=4 which displays the SK SLBM range map (below) to hit Japanese territory:
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The South Korean (SK) Navy officially admitted it is making efforts to secure a nuclear submarine [1].
On October 10, 2019 the Chief of Staff of SK Navy officially announced that an SK nuclear propelled submarine is the most convenient way to follow and destroy North Korea (NK) submarines that are capable of firing nuclear tipped submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
On October 10, 2019 the Chief of Staff of SK Navy officially announced that an SK nuclear propelled submarine is the most convenient way to follow and destroy North Korea (NK) submarines that are capable of firing nuclear tipped submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
The Chief of Staff of SK Navy also stated that an SK nuclear propelled submarine could be a "useful deterrent" against neighbouring countries. [Pete Comment: By "deterrent" the Chief of Staff of SK Navy is presumably meaning SK missiles with nuclear warheads as a handful of missiles with conventional warheads would be no deterrent (particularly to nuclear armed NK)].
The Chief of Staff of SK Navy explained that an SK nuclear propelled submarine is not restricted by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or Safeguards Agreements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Japanese government will interpret “neighboring countries” to mean NK and Japan and that SK Navy considers Japan as a virtual enemy[2]. This is because the SK Navy would never attack heavily nuclear armed China and Russia.
[1] South Korean Navy "Efforts to secure nuclear submarine ... convenient for North SLBM", Radio Free Asia, October 10, 2019 (in Korean - right-click mouse to translate)
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/ne-hw-10102019083107.html
[2]“Development of an SSN starting in SK before Japan [builds an SSN]” by Jun Kitamura, October 17, 2019, [Japan's] JBpress, (in Japanese) https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/57942?page=4 which displays the SK SLBM range map (below) to hit Japanese territory:
SK Navy submarine attack posture simulation [against Japan] (Map courtesy [Japan's]
- "SSK" [or SSB?][conventional sub]: SK Navy KSS-III batch-2
[or Batch II already designed] launch point to fire SLBMs [at Japan]
[or Batch II already designed] launch point to fire SLBMs [at Japan]
- "SSN" [or SSBN?]: SK Navy launch points to fire SLBMs [at Japan]
"Red fan is SLBM range"
Pete Comment - The South Korean SLBMs may become a longer range variant of the land based Hyunmoo-2B (range with 500kg warhead 800 km in 2012?) or of the future Hyanmoo-4 (likely to have a range, with 500kg warhead, well over 1,000km).
Anonymous (some Pete comments)