SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean state media on Saturday released photographs of national leader Kim Jong Un inspecting progress on a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine.”
The photos, which were undated and carried no named location, showed the beaming leader speaking to officials at a naval engineering facility under the hulls of large, under-construction vessels.
While most North Korean defense spending goes on its armory of tactical and strategic missiles, plus nuclear warheads, in recent years Mr. Kim has spoken of upgrading the navy. Currently, his fleet — unlike China’s — lacks blue-water assets.
North Korea “would never remain an idle onlooker to the naval and underwater military activities of the enemies seriously threatening the sovereignty and interests of [North Korea] by constantly deploying large numbers of strategic assets,” the North Korean report quoted Mr. Kim as saying.
No full image of the submarine was published, but one of the photos showed part of a large, bulbous, curved hull that may be the vessel.
In 2023, North Korea published a film of the launch of what it called a “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” though it didn’t claim that the boat had a nuclear power plant.
Nuclear submarines were on a long list of sophisticated weapons announced at a landmark party congress that took place in 2021 following the failure of pioneering diplomacy with the U.S. in 2019.
Other capabilities mentioned included solid-fuel ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and drones.
The North is assessed as having acquired solid-fuel missiles — which don’t require lengthy fueling times, making them harder to preempt — and of having placed a reconnaissance satellite into orbit, though it’s unclear if it’s working.
North Korea has also showcased underwater missile launches, though it’s believed to possess only one operational missile-launch submarine — the 2023 boat.
The country has been working on the diversification and survivability of its missile force.
Unorthodox innovations include missiles launched from moving trains, which can be hidden in tunnels, and shot from lakes, underwater.
A submarine armed with strategic missiles would offer a mobile, stealthy and survivable platform. Nuclear power would offer it potentially unlimited range and patrol time.
It’s unclear if the country has the technology to produce a reactor for a submarine. However, North Korea is believed to be receiving military technology from Russia, with which it signed a strategic partnership last June.
Subsequently, in October, North Korea began the deployment of an estimated 12,000 troops to fight alongside Russia against Ukrainian forces.
Though the North Korean force is assessed to have suffered heavy losses, South Korean intelligence last month suggested that more troops from the communist country have been sent as replacements or reinforcements.
