Korea KSS (Chang Bo Go) Submarine program

Prime Minister Mark Carney aboard the KSS-III Batch-II.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced on Thursday, the 30th, that it has signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) for a system development project to upgrade the performance of three Jangbogo-II (Type 214) submarines, valued at 468.9 billion KRW.

This performance improvement project covers three of the nine Jangbogo-II submarines that have been in service for more than 10 years. Key equipment, including the Combat Management System, Towed Array Sonar, Mine Avoidance Sonar, and Buoy Antenna, will be replaced with the latest models. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to complete the performance upgrade by 2033, in cooperation with LIG Nex1, which previously carried out the upgrade of the Jangbogo-I (Type 209) submarines.

Angus Topshee, Vice-Admiral and Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, had the opportunity on the morning of the 31st to personally experience the excellence of the Korean submarine by riding the ROKS Ahn Mu, the second vessel of the 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine (SS-III), in the waters near the ROK Navy's Busan Naval Base.

Although blurred, this material provides a general idea of the interior of the KSS-III Batch-II. Thanks to Canada, I get to catch glimpses of precious moments.

ROKS Ahn Mu, a Dosan An Chang-ho-class vessel participating in Silent Shark 2025 starting November 18. I'm not sure exactly when she departed, but she arrived in Guam today, the 17th. This marks the first time the KSS-III has participated in overseas joint exercises, demonstrating its capability for long-range ocean voyages and operations in high-temperature tropical waters. Personally, I hope the ROKN conducts joint exercises with nations surrounding the Arctic Ocean. In the long term, the ROKN's operational area must expand to that extent. According to ‘Navy Vision 2045’, the plan is to extend the ROKN's operational range to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea.

ROKN's First Submarine, ROKS Jangbogo (SS-I, 1,200 tons), Completes its 34-Year Journey

The ROKS Jangbogo, the Republic of Korea Navy's (ROKN) first submarine, which is scheduled for decommissioning at the end of this year, will conduct its final voyage on Wednesday, November 19.

Launched in 1991 and commissioned in June 1993 as the ROKN's inaugural submarine, the ROKS Jangbogo laid the foundation for the Navy to establish its three-dimensional naval power (surface, sub-surface, and air).

It has upheld the submarine safety motto: "Dive a hundred times, surface a hundred times."

Over the past 34 years, it has safely navigated 342,000 miles (approximately 633,000 km), traversing the East, West, and South Seas, as well as distant waters, successfully completing its mission to protect South Korea's maritime sovereignty.

-In 1997, during training deployment to Hawaii, it successfully completed a 10,000-mile solo voyage, demonstrating its long-range underwater capability.

-In the 2004 RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise), the submarine achieved a remarkable feat by conducting simulated attacks against over 30 ships, including a U.S. aircraft carrier, without ever being detected. This success showcased the ROKN's exceptional submarine operation capability to the world.

(ROKS Jangbogo, which achieved 200,000 miles of accident-free safe navigation.)

The significance of this final voyage is enhanced by the presence of four original crew members, including the first commanding officer, Ahn Byung-gu (Ret. Brigadier General), who commanded the Jangbogo's maiden voyage, as well as the former Weapons Officer and Command Master Chief.

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HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced on Thursday, the 30th, that it has signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) for a system development project to upgrade the performance of three Jangbogo-II (Type 214) submarines, valued at 468.9 billion KRW.
View attachment 77972
This performance improvement project covers three of the nine Jangbogo-II submarines that have been in service for more than 10 years. Key equipment, including the Combat Management System, Towed Array Sonar, Mine Avoidance Sonar, and Buoy Antenna, will be replaced with the latest models. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to complete the performance upgrade by 2033, in cooperation with LIG Nex1, which previously carried out the upgrade of the Jangbogo-I (Type 209) submarines.

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South Korea’s First Submarine Jangbogo Ends 34-Year Mission

ROKS Jangbogo (SS-I), South Korea’s first operational submarine, has officially ended 34 years of service safeguarding the nation’s maritime sovereignty, with retirement scheduled for December 31.

The Republic of Korea Navy held a retirement ceremony on December 29 at the parade ground of the ROK Navy Submarine Command, marking the end of an era in South Korea’s undersea warfare history.


The ceremony was presided over by Vice Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul, Commander of ROK Fleet Operations, and attended by Adm. Kang Dong-gil, Chief of Naval Operations; Brig. Gen. (ret.) Ahn Byeong-gu, the submarine’s first commanding officer; former crew members and their families; and Georg Wilfried Schmidt, German Ambassador to South Korea. Around 300 guests were present.


Moored near the venue were advanced ROK Navy platforms, including the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class (SS-III) and Sohn Won-il-class (SS-II) submarines, as well as submarine rescue ships Cheonghaejin and Ganghwado, symbolically honoring Jangbogo’s retirement.


In his remarks, Adm. Kang said, “Today marks a historic moment as South Korea’s first submarine completes its mission after 34 years of dedicated service. Jangbogo protected our future from the depths of the sea, and its legacy will be remembered forever.” He added that successor submarines would continue to defend the nation “from the deepest, most discreet, and most powerful positions.”


Commissioned on June 1, 1993, Jangbogo made South Korea the world’s 43rd nation to operate submarines and laid the foundation for a three-dimensional naval force spanning surface, subsurface, and air domains. In 1997, the submarine demonstrated long-range operational capability by completing a 10,000-mile solo deployment to Hawaii. During the 2004 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, it successfully conducted simulated attacks against more than 30 ships, including a U.S. aircraft carrier, without being detected.


The submarine also participated in major international drills such as the U.S.–ROK anti-submarine exercise Silent Shark in 2013 and the Pacific Reach submarine escape and rescue exercise in 2016. Over its career, Jangbogo safely sailed approximately 342,000 miles, adhering to the Navy’s safety motto: “A submarine that dives 100 times must surface 100 times.”


After completing frontline operations in 2023, Jangbogo was reassigned in 2024 as a training submarine, supporting crew qualification and readiness until its final voyage in November 2025.


Lt. Cmdr. Lee Je-gwon, the submarine’s final commanding officer, said, “Jangbogo opened the first chapter of South Korea’s submarine history. The route it pioneered beneath the seas will be remembered by all who follow.”


With its retirement, Jangbogo passes the torch to a new generation of advanced Korean submarines, while its battle ensign, nameplate, and certificate of honorable discharge will be preserved at the Submarine Command’s historical museum.

On the 25th, the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho set sail from Jinhae on a one-way voyage of approximately 14,000 km to Esquimalt Harbor in Victoria, British Columbia.
As previously reported in the media, this voyage is intended to appeal to Canada by demonstrating the capabilities of the KSS-III, with the Canadian Submarine Program (CPSP) in mind.

The ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will make port calls in Guam and Hawaii during its trans-Pacific voyage, and two crew members from a Canadian Navy submarine will join the ship in Hawaii to sail with it. The ship will then conduct joint exercises with the Canadian Navy and participate in the multinational maritime exercise RIMPAC in Hawaii at the end of June before returning home. This voyage will include anti-submarine training involving the FFG-II-class frigate FFG-823 Daejeon.

The ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho has arrived in Guam. After loading supplies here, the ship is scheduled to pick up Canadian Navy crew members in Hawaii and then proceed to Canada.

Data released by the ROKN on the status of toilets, shower rooms, and beds on each submarine.

The living conditions are really poor, aren't they?

urban mine said:

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Data released by the ROKN on the status of toilets, shower rooms, and beds on each submarine.

The living conditions are really poor, aren't they?

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Its pretty much standard thing baked in with all SSK subs. Just scaling up crew comfort with tonnage etc.

Beyond a point it becomes impractical to scale past 4000 tons etc to get to say SSN sizes (and crew comfort there) given stealth considerations SSKs want to preserve as advantage as far as possible. Crew comfort is thus constrained to within this tonnage range (1000 - 4000 tons)

Nilgiri said:

Its pretty much standard thing baked in with all SSK subs. Just scaling up crew comfort with tonnage etc.

Beyond a point it becomes impractical to scale past 4000 tons etc to get to say SSN sizes (and crew comfort there) given stealth considerations SSKs want to preserve as advantage as far as possible. Crew comfort is thus constrained to within this tonnage range (1000 - 4000 tons)

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You're absolutely right. The reality is that, at this point, submarines can only be equipped with this level of amenities.

This information was made public as part of the process of seeking measures to address the current difficulties in recruiting submarine crew members.
Since there are limits to what can be done to improve facilities, the only viable solution ultimately comes down to crew wages. However, there are limits to that as well... so there are many concerns.

urban mine said:

On the 25th, the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho set sail from Jinhae on a one-way voyage of approximately 14,000 km to Esquimalt Harbor in Victoria, British Columbia.
As previously reported in the media, this voyage is intended to appeal to Canada by demonstrating the capabilities of the KSS-III, with the Canadian Submarine Program (CPSP) in mind.
View attachment 79724 View attachment 79725
The ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will make port calls in Guam and Hawaii during its trans-Pacific voyage, and two crew members from a Canadian Navy submarine will join the ship in Hawaii to sail with it. The ship will then conduct joint exercises with the Canadian Navy and participate in the multinational maritime exercise RIMPAC in Hawaii at the end of June before returning home. This voyage will include anti-submarine training involving the FFG-II-class frigate FFG-823 Daejeon.

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ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho Arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii!

The ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho (SS-III), the Republic of Korea Navy's first 3,000-ton class submarine, arrived today (May 4) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. The submarine departed from Chinhae Naval Base on March 25 and made a transit stop in Guam, USA, en route to participate in a combined naval exercise between South Korea and Canada.

ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho arrived in Hawaii 40 days after leaving Korea. After spending a few days in Hawaii, she will head to Canada with two crew members from a Canadian Navy submarine on board.

The Republic of Korea Navy's 3,000-ton class submarine, the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho (KSS-III), departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on May 8, sailing together with Royal Canadian Navy submariners!

Having departed Jinhae Naval Base on March 25 to participate in a ROK-Canada combined training, the ROK Navy's first 3,000-ton class submarine set sail from Hawaii today with RCN submarine crew members embarked. It is scheduled to arrive at the Esquimalt port in Victoria, Western Canada, in late May.

The KSS-III Batch-II ROKS Jang Yeong-sil successfully completed a nominal diving depth test. It has been reported in the media that the NDD of the KSS-III Batch-I is 3xx meters. Since Batch-II is said to be an improvement over that, it should be capable of diving to greater depths.

Hanwha Ocean says KSS-III submarine verified communications interoperability with Royal Canadian Navy​

The 3,000-tonne-class submarine departed Jinhae Naval Base on 25 March 2026 and is scheduled to arrive at CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, British Columbia, on 23 May. Its 14,000-kilometre trans-Pacific voyage included stops in Guam and Hawaii.

Hanwha Ocean said the voyage demonstrated the operational range, endurance and self-sufficiency required for Canada’s Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. The KSS-III submarine is being proposed for that programme.

Royal Canadian Navy Lieutenant Commander Brittany Brousseau and Petty Officer Jake Dickson joined the crew of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho during the voyage. Both Canadian officers took part in communications and training activities at sea.

On 18 May, the Republic of Korea Navy announced that the submarine had successfully exchanged communications with the Royal Canadian Navy Pacific Fleet. The exchange used the submarine’s onboard combined C4I system under simulated wartime conditions.

According to Hanwha Ocean, the operation directly verified interoperability between the two navies in an operational environment. It also showed that South Korea’s submarine communications network can communicate directly with key NATO allied nations, including Canada.

The company said the exercise demonstrated practical combined operational capability and highlighted South Korean submarine communications technology. It also underlined the potential for deeper Canada-South Korea maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic regions.

Hanwha Ocean said the activity marked a further step in the Canada-South Korea bilateral defence relationship. The exercise builds on the Canada-Republic of Korea Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership announced by Prime Minister Carney and President Lee in October 2025.

“This successful communications exchange will demonstrate the capability of our Navy to expand its operational reach into multinational combined operations, including with NATO allies like Canada,” said Captain Lee Byung-il, commanding officer of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho.

“Based on robust interoperability, we will continue to demonstrate the exceptional mission capabilities of Republic of Korea submarines,” Lee added.

Hanwha Ocean said its KSS-III is an in-service and in-production submarine that meets and exceeds the requirements of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. The company cited underwater surveillance capability, Arctic deployability, extended range and endurance as features relevant to Canada’s requirements.

Hanwha Ocean said it could deliver four KSS-III submarines to replace Canada’s current Victoria-class fleet before 2035 if placed under contract in 2026. The company said an additional eight submarines could then be delivered at a rate of one per year, allowing a 12-submarine fleet to be delivered to Canada by 2043.

It brings tears to my eyes. She crossed the Pacific Ocean.

During this voyage, the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho spent more than 99.5% of its two-month deployment submerged without surfacing.

Following the joint exercises with Canada, she is scheduled to take six Canadian crew members on board when she heads to Hawaii to participate in RIMPAC.