A file picture shows South Korean submarines moored in a naval base on the southern island of Jeju.[Courtesy of the Navy]

SEOUL -- South Korea's new 3,000-ton submarine built with indigenous technology will make its debut next month. It is capable of firing home-made ballistic missiles that can fly over 500 kilometers.A ceremony to launch the submarine named "Dosan Ahn Chang-ho" will take place in September in the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering on Geoje Island. Ahn Chang-ho (1876 - 1938) is a prominent Korean independence activist who established the Young Korean Academy in San Francisco in 1913 and was a key member in the founding of the provisional Korean government in Shanghai in 1919.Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is the first 3,000-ton sub built in South Korea's military program. After an operational test and evaluation, the submarine will be delivered to the navy in late 2020.South Korea has a three-phase project to develop a fleet of submarines. Through the first phase, nine 1,200-ton diesel-electric subs have been built under license. The second phase calls for the construction of six hybrid diesel-electric/fuel cell vessels. Through the third phase, nine 3,000-ton subs will be built with indigenous technologies.Initially, South Korean submarines capable of firing ballistic missiles were designed to cope with North Korean missile and nuclear threats. At an inter-Korean summit in April, the two Koreas agreed to work on ending the status of war, stop all hostile acts against each other and replace a fragile armistice signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War with a lasting peace regime.Despite an inter-Korean thaw brought by North Korea's sudden peace overture, the South's defense ministry called for the buildup of strategic assets and the deployment of upgraded warships.