North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US. The AP reports state media released photos on Saturday showing what it called "a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine," as it reported leader Kim Jong Un's visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn't provide details on the submarine, but said Kim was briefed on its construction.
The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one, which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul's Hanyang University. He said the use of the term "strategic guided missiles" meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. "It would be absolutely threatening to us and the US," Moon said. North Korea obtaining a greater ability to fire missiles from underwater is a worrying development because it's difficult for its rivals to detect such launches in advance.
Questions about how North Korea, a heavily sanctioned and impoverished country, could get resources and technology to build nuclear-powered submarines have surfaced. Moon said North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine in return for supplying conventional weapons and troops to support Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. He also said North Korea could launch the submarine in one or two years to test its capability before its actual deployment.
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In recent days, North Korea has been dialing up its fiery rhetoric against the US and South Korea ahead of their upcoming annual military drills set to start Monday. During his visits to the shipyards, Kim said North Korea aims to modernize water-surface and underwater warships simultaneously. KCNA reported that he stressed the need to make "the incomparably overwhelming warships fulfill their mission" to contain "the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile forces."
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