The nation’s leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the vessel’s construction and pledged to speed up naval development
North Korea has released new photos of its first almost-complete nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, with leader Kim Jong Un personally examining the vessel.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday that Kim lauded the submarine’s construction as an “epoch-making crucial change.”
During his inspection, Kim supervised work on the 8,700-ton strategic guided missile submarine and pledged to keep arming the DPRK’s navy with nuclear missiles.
Kim tied the need to strengthen the nation’s offensive capabilities to South Korea’s recently US-approved plan to develop its own nuclear submarine. The North Korean leader asserted that Seoul’s intentions infringe on Pyongyang’s security and maritime sovereignty.
He cautioned that North Korea’s adversaries would be “forced to pay a dear price when they violate the security of the DPRK’s strategic sovereignty” and would encounter a “merciless retaliatory attack if they try to select a military option.”
KCNA also reported that Kim received updates on ongoing research and development of novel “underwater secret weapons.”
The submarine’s development occurs during a period of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, as Pyongyang accuses the US, South Korea, and Japan of compromising its national security and destabilizing the region through efforts to establish an “Asian version of NATO” and by conducting joint military drills.
Seoul and Washington have consistently called for peninsula denuclearization. In October, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also called on Beijing to assume a “constructive role” in promoting peace and seeking “a substantive solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.”
However, Pyongyang has declared that its nuclear forces will “exist forever” to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and fundamental interests, rejecting denuclearization as a “pipedream.”