According to the state news agency KCNA, North Korea on Friday declared it has constructed a “tactical nuclear attack submarine” as part of its efforts to bolster its naval power.
According to KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the unveiling event on Wednesday and said the new sub was a step toward the future nuclear weaponization of the Navy.
According to a report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the launch of submarine No. 841, known as the Hero Kim Kun Ok, “heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering the naval force of the DPRK.”
According to KCNA, Kim stated that the submarine “will carry out its combat mission as one of the core underwater offensive means of the naval force of the DPRK.”
This year, North Korea has tested more weapons than ever before. Last month, the country’s second effort to launch a spy satellite into orbit was unsuccessful.
In response, Seoul and Washington have intensified their defense cooperation by holding joint military drills involving cutting-edge stealth jets and US strategic weapons.
Kim emphasized “the strategic and tactical plan to continuously enhance the modernity of underwater and surface forces and push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the Navy in the future” during the joyous launch event that included confetti and balloons, according to KCNA.
Kim examined the submarine on Thursday while it was getting ready for a test cruise.
“Saying that to arm the navy with nuclear weapons arises as an urgent task… he stressed the need to enable the Navy to successfully carry out its strategic duty by hastening the transfer of underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons to the Navy”, Kim was reported as saying by KCNA.
According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US-based think tank, North Korea is estimated to have between 64 and 86 submarines, one of the world’s largest submarine fleets. However, experts doubt all of them are operational given the age of the vessels, according to NTI.
