From coastal defense to ocean power: Why South Korea needs nuclear-powered submarines

The focus of national security is shifting from territorial defense to maritime capabilities. Factors like sea lines of communication, energy transport routes, raw material supply chains, and, crucially, who controls and manages the seas are increasingly becoming the key elements of national competitiveness and security. In this changing security environment, naval power — especially nuclear-powered submarines capable of long, covert operations — has emerged not merely as a military asset but also as a diplomatic one. Today, naval power is less about fighting and more about preventing conflicts. The sea is no longer a space to be defended only after conflict erupts; it has become a part of national infrastructure that must be managed even in peacetime to prevent conflicts from arising at all. States capable of maintaining this infrastructure steadily earn the trust of neighboring countries, and that trust translates into diplomatic influence. Naval power, therefore, has moved beyond the realm of defense and become a language of diplomacy. Asian countries are witnessing this shift. CWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times