North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending the unveiling ceremony of the new submarine No. 841, named the Hero Kim Kun Ok (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has christened a new ‘tactical nuclear submarine’, in a move he described as crucial in his efforts to counter the naval threat posed by the US and its Asian allies.
He insisted the sub bolstered Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrent by ‘leaps and bounds’ and would be just as ‘daunting’ as the nuclear-propelled U boat he plans to acquire in the future.
‘The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies,’ the official Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying.
Photos released by state media show the tyrant grinning at the launch ceremony and being overshadowed by the huge black submersible, named ‘Hero Kim Kun Ok’.
Kim said the vessel will be one of the main ‘underwater offensive means of the naval force’.
KCNA reported it is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it can carry.
Officials in the South were sceptical the sub would work as described and suggested it likely was not ready for operational duty.
‘There are signs of deception or exaggeration,’ military chiefs said in a statement, without elaborating.
However, its development underscored how the North continues to potentially extend the range of its nuclear arsenal with systems that are harder to detect in advance.
Kim salutes troops at the ceremony (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
The launch was held at an unspecified place in North Korea (Picture: AP)
North Korea announced it had built a ‘tactical nuclear attack submarine’ (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Kim smiles during the ceremony (Picture: Reuters)
Analysts said the vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically.
Its design, with 10 launch tube hatches, suggest it was most likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, they added.
North Korea previously had been testing a variety of missiles designed to be fired from submarines as it pursued the ability to conduct nuclear strikes from underwater, which in theory would bolster its deterrent by ensuring a survivable capability to retaliate after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.
Ballistic missile submarines would also add a maritime threat to the North’s growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles that are designed to overwhelm missile defences in South Korea and Japan.
Still, it would take considerable time, resources and technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of at least several submarines that could travel quietly and reliably execute attacks, analysts say.
Kim said the country is pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing subs and surface vessels so they can handle nuclear weapons.
He described the building of a nuclear-capable army as an ‘urgent task’.
A view of what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea (Picture: Reuters)
Recently, Kim has also emphasised the need to strengthen the country’s navy, a focus that some analysts say could be driven by a desire to expand military cooperation with Russia.
There’s also speculation that Kim is preparing to visit Russia soon for a meeting with Vladimir Putin for talks on North Korean arms sales to refill Moscow’s reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.
In exchange for providing Russia with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could seek badly needed economic aid and also advanced weapons technologies, including those related to submarine-launched ballistic missile systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles and military spy satellites, analysts say.
But it’s unclear whether Russia, which has always closely guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key allies like China, would be willing to share it with North Korea in exchange for what’s likely to be limited war supplies.
Nuclear-propelled submarines, which can quietly travel long distances and approach enemy shores to deliver strikes, are among a long list of advanced weapons systems Kim has been openly pursuing as he attempts to build a nuclear arsenal that could viably threaten the US mainland.
But such vessels are going to be largely unfeasible for the North without external assistance in the near-term, Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.
‘Russian assistance could be quite helpful here, but it’s unclear if Moscow would be willing to share this sensitive technology,’ he added.
KCNA said the launching of the submarine was timed for the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, which falls on Saturday and was to be marked by festivities, including a paramilitary parade.
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