SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has revealed its first nuclear-powered submarine, a weapons system that could significantly threaten the security of South Korea and the United States.
On Saturday, state media released images of what they termed “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” coinciding with reports of leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards involved in warship construction.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) mentioned Kim’s briefing on the submarine’s construction but did not provide specific details about the vessel.
According to Moon Keun-sik, a submarine expert and professor at Seoul’s Hanyang University, the submarine appears to be in the 6,000- to 7,000-ton class, capable of carrying approximately 10 missiles. He suggested the term “strategic guided missiles” indicates the capacity to carry nuclear weapons.
“It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon stated.
The development of a nuclear-powered submarine was a key element of Kim’s 2021 pledge to bolster North Korea’s weaponry in response to perceived U.S.-led military threats. His wishlist included solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites, and multi-warhead missiles, which North Korea has actively pursued through testing.
North Korea’s enhanced ability to launch missiles from underwater raises concerns due to the difficulty of detecting such launches in advance.
Questions have arisen regarding how North Korea, a nation facing heavy sanctions and economic hardship, acquired the necessary resources and technology to construct nuclear-powered submarines.
Moon speculated that North Korea might have received technological assistance from Russia in building the submarine’s nuclear reactor, potentially in exchange for providing conventional weapons and troops to support Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
He also suggested that North Korea may launch the submarine within the next one to two years for testing purposes before officially deploying it.
North Korea possesses one of the world’s largest submarine fleets, estimated at 70-90 diesel-powered vessels. However, most of these are older models capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles.
In 2023, North Korea claimed to have launched its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” but international experts expressed skepticism, suggesting it was likely a diesel-powered submarine unveiled in 2019. Moon noted that its deployment has not been confirmed.
Since 2016, North Korea has conducted numerous underwater-launched ballistic missile tests, all originating from the same 2,000-ton-class submarine equipped with a single launch tube. Many experts consider this submarine a test platform rather than a fully operational vessel.
Recently, North Korea has intensified its rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea ahead of their scheduled joint military exercises, which are set to begin on Monday.
During his visits to the shipyards, Kim stated North Korea’s intention to simultaneously modernize both its surface and underwater warships. He emphasized the need for “the incomparably overwhelming warships” to fulfill their mission of containing “the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile forces,” according to KCNA.
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