SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea unveiled for the primary time a nuclear-powered submarine underneath building, a weapons system that may pose a significant safety menace to South Korea and the U.S.
State media on Saturday launched photographs exhibiting what it known as “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” because it reported chief Kim Jong Un’s visits to main shipyards the place warships are constructed.
The Korean Central Information Company, or KCNA, did not present particulars on the submarine, however mentioned Kim was briefed on its building.
On this undated photograph supplied on March 8, 2025, by the North Korean authorities, North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, middle, visits a shipyard to assemble warships at an undisclosed place in North Korea. Unbiased journalists weren’t given entry to cowl the occasion depicted on this picture distributed by the North Korean authorities. The content material of this picture is as supplied and can’t be independently verified. Korean language watermark on picture as supplied by supply reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central Information Company. (Korean Central Information Company/Korea Information Service through AP) (Korean Central Information Company/Korea Information Service through AP)
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The naval vessel seems to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which may carry about 10 missiles, mentioned Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine professional who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang College. He mentioned using the time period “the strategic guided missiles” meant it could carry nuclear-capable weapons.
“It might be completely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon mentioned.
A nuclear-powered submarine was amongst an extended wishlist of refined weaponry that Kim vowed to introduce throughout a significant political convention in 2021 to deal with what he known as escalating U.S.-led navy threats. Different weapons have been solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites and multi-warhead missiles. North Korea has since carried out a run of testing actions to amass them.
North Korea acquiring a higher capacity to fireside missiles from underwater is a worrying improvement as a result of it’s troublesome for its rivals to detect such launches upfront.
Questions on how North Korea, a closely sanctioned and impoverished nation, may get sources and know-how to construct nuclear-powered submarines have surfaced.
Moon, the submarine professional, mentioned North Korea might have obtained Russian technological help to construct a nuclear reactor for use within the submarine in return for supplying typical weapons and troops to help Russia’s warfare efforts towards Ukraine.
On this undated photograph supplied on March 8, 2025, by the North Korean authorities, North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, backside proper, visits a shipyard to assemble warships at an undisclosed place in North Korea. Unbiased journalists weren’t given entry to cowl the occasion depicted on this picture distributed by the North Korean authorities. The content material of this picture is as supplied and can’t be independently verified. (Korean Central Information Company/Korea Information Service through AP) (Korean Central Information Company/Korea Information Service through AP)
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He additionally mentioned North Korea may launch the submarine in a single or two years to check its functionality earlier than its precise deployment.
North Korea has an estimated 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of many world’s largest fleets. Nonetheless, they’re largely growing old ones able to launching solely torpedoes and mines, not missiles.
In 2023, North Korea mentioned it had launched what it known as its first “tactical nuclear assault submarine,” however overseas specialists doubted the North’s announcement and speculated it was doubtless a diesel-powered submarine disclosed in 2019. Moon mentioned there was no affirmation that it has been deployed.
North Korea has performed a slew of underwater-launched ballistic missile exams since 2016, however all launches have been made out of the identical 2,000-ton-class submarine which has a single launch tube. Many specialists name it a take a look at platform, fairly than an operational submarine in energetic service.
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In latest days, North Korea has been dialing up its fiery rhetoric towards the U.S. and South Korea forward of their upcoming annual navy drills set to start out Monday.
Throughout his visits to the shipyards, Kim mentioned North Korea goals to modernize water-surface and underwater warships concurrently. He confused the necessity to make “the incomparably overwhelming warships fulfill their mission” to include “the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile forces,” KCNA reported Saturday.
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