North Korea showcases progress on nuclear-powered submarine

North Korea has signalled apparent progress in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, with state media images showing what appears to be a largely completed hull, as leader Kim Jong-un criticised South Korea’s efforts to pursue similar technology.

The Korean Central News Agency KCNA said Kim visited a shipyard to inspect work on what Pyongyang describes as an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine, a project the leader has previously described as central to the modernisation and nuclear armament of the country’s navy.

North Korea has said it intends to arm the vessel with nuclear weapons, referring to it as a "strategic guided missile submarine" or a "strategic nuclear attack submarine."

During the visit, Kim described South Korea’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine, backed by US President Donald Trump, as an "offensive act" that seriously violates North Korea’s security and maritime sovereignty.

He said the South’s plans further justified the need to strengthen and nuclear-arm North Korea’s naval forces, adding that the completion of the submarine would mark an "epoch-making" step in reinforcing the country’s nuclear deterrent against what he described as enemy threats.

It was the first time state media had released images of the submarine since March, when coverage showed only lower sections of the hull.

It was not immediately clear how close the vessel is to completion.

A nuclear-powered submarine was among a list of advanced weapons Kim outlined at a major political meeting in 2021, alongside solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, reconnaissance satellites and multi-warhead missiles.

In a separate report, KCNA said Kim on Wednesday supervised the test of a new long-range anti-air missile fired towards the country’s eastern sea.

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Source: TRT