The state media of North Korea on Saturday gave a rare overview of the first submarine of nuclear propulsion missiles in the country which should serve as a “powerful means of nuclear deterrence” in the future.
The Korean central news agency, or KCNA, published a Image set Taken during a recent inspection tour of leader Kim Jong one at the main shipyards of North Korea, one of which the first nuclear submarine is under construction.
In two photos, the chief and his entourage were seen next to the large body of a ship, which would have been caught in a submarine in the port city of Sinpo on the east coast.
KCNA quoted Kim saying that “the development of naval force in an elite force and nuclear weapons constitutes an important content in the development strategy of national defense.”
Pyongyang has a fleet of around 70 aging submarines, most of them are classified as “dwarf” for their small size.
In September 2023, he launched the first “tactical nuclear attack submarine”, a Romeo class submarine from the modified Soviet era, which North Korea acquired China in the 1970s.
Despite its name, it is not nuclear propulsion but equipped with diesel-electric propulsion, relatively noisy and slow, therefore vulnerable to the modern anti-submarine war. The “nuclear” component refers to the possibility of armament of nuclear missiles, but analysts have raised doubts about its capacities.
The KCNA report did not say when the construction of the new submarine would be finished.
The largest warships in North Korea
Kim Jong One has also visited other shipyards where the largest warships in North Korea are under construction.
“It is only when there is a powerful naval force that no one can provoke, it is possible to defend the security of the country,” he said.
Pyongyang would be built two new warships with a displacement of 3,000 to 5,000 tonnes at the Nampo shipyard on the west coast and Chongjin on the East Coast.
Several of the photos of KCNA show the North Korean chief inspecting the upper structure of a ship, probably at the Nampo shipyard, with details on the bright bridge.
Related stories
A North Korean base has models from South Korean cities, Pow in Ukraine says
North Korea to have the first early warning planes, the satellite image shows
The “largest” North Korea War Ship under construction with Russian Aid: Report
North Korea has a substantial surface fleet in number, but is mainly composed of smaller patrols and limited capacity coastal ships.
The two ships under construction should be equipped with a vertical launch system for missiles, a first for a North Korean surface ship. A Report by the British reflection group, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said such a ship could transport ballistic or air surface missiles, but their capacities remain to be seen.
The ability of North Korean shipyards to reproduce the performance of the latest combat systems in the world and other associated capacities is considered by the report as “limited”.
Edited by Mike Firn.