SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military is to mull the development of its own nuclear-powered submarine against what it calls the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats, local media reported on Tuesday.
Government officials and ruling Saenuri Party members held a meeting to enhance the country's defense capability against the DPRK's nuclear threat, where the party strongly asked the government to push for the development of its own submarine propelled by nuclear power.
An unidentified defense ministry official was quoted as saying at the meeting that the military would carefully weigh the call in consideration of military effectiveness, technical availability and military situations in neighboring countries.
Calls here for introducing its own nuclear-powered submarine emerged after the DPRK showed an advance in its technology of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast on Aug. 24, traveling some 500 km toward Japan. The flight distance surpassed the 300 km which Seoul's military regards as a success.
Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered to build a couple of 3,000-ton submarines capable of carrying and launching ballistic missiles.
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