North Korea has unveiled a nuclear-powered submarine under construction for the first time, marking a significant military development that could pose a serious security threat to South Korea and the United States.
State media released photographs on Saturday depicting what it described as “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” while reporting on leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to key shipyards involved in warship construction.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not disclose specific details about the submarine but stated that Kim was briefed on its progress.
According to Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert and professor at Seoul’s Hanyang University, the vessel appears to be within the 6,000-ton to 7,000-ton class and capable of carrying around 10 missiles.
He noted that the use of the phrase “strategic guided missiles” suggests the submarine will be equipped with nuclear-capable weapons.
“It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon stated.
A nuclear-powered submarine was among the advanced weapons systems Kim pledged to develop during a major political conference in 2021 in response to what he described as escalating U.S.-led military threats.
Other projects on this list included solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites, and multi-warhead missiles. Since then, North Korea has conducted a series of tests to advance these capabilities.
The potential deployment of a submarine with enhanced missile-launching capabilities is particularly concerning, as underwater launches are more challenging for adversaries to detect in advance.
North Korea Set To Make A Nuclear SubmarineQuestions have been raised about how North Korea, which remains heavily sanctioned and economically strained, has managed to obtain the resources and technology necessary for constructing a nuclear-powered submarine.
Moon suggested that North Korea might have received Russian technological assistance for developing a nuclear reactor to power the submarine, possibly in exchange for providing conventional weapons and troops to support Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.
He further speculated that North Korea could launch the submarine within one to two years for testing before it becomes fully operational.
Currently, North Korea possesses an estimated 70 to 90 diesel-powered submarines, making it one of the largest submarine fleets in the world. However, most of these are aging models limited to launching torpedoes and mines rather than missiles.
In 2023, North Korea announced the launch of what it claimed was its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” though foreign experts expressed skepticism. Many believed it to be a diesel-powered submarine first revealed in 2019. Moon noted that there has been no confirmation of its deployment.
Since 2016, North Korea has conducted multiple underwater ballistic missile tests, but all were launched from the same 2,000-ton-class submarine equipped with a single launch tube. Many analysts consider this vessel to be a testing platform rather than an operational unit in active service.
As North Korea escalates its rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea, tensions are rising ahead of the annual military exercises scheduled to begin on Monday.
During his visits to the shipyards, Kim emphasized North Korea’s goal of simultaneously modernizing both surface and underwater warships.
He underscored the importance of ensuring that “the incomparably overwhelming warships fulfill their mission” to counter “the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile forces,” as reported by KCNA on Saturday.