North Korea has launched its first submarine aimed at bolstering its naval force as it seeks to develop the ability to conduct nuclear strikes from underwater. The sub, Hero Kim Kun Ok, after a Korean war hero, is the country’s “first combat-capable submarine armed with strategic weapons,” according to state news agency KCNA.
The launching comes just days before the country’s 75th anniversary of its founding day and comes with high tensions over its nuclear program. In recent years, Pyongyang has tested various missiles designed to be fired from submarines. The country is also believed to be attempting to miniaturize nuclear warheads for submarine-launched missiles.
But analysts say that the submarine, fitted with ten launch tubes, will most likely be able to fire conventional ballistic missiles rather than more advanced cruise missiles. That could make it less threatening to the United States and its allies than a more powerful nuclear-powered submarine.
Analysts have been speculating about the submarine’s capabilities since 2016 when reports of its development began. Last year, the country’s state-run X News website showed pictures of the submarine being constructed and christened. The site also posted a video of the vessel sailing through a body of water.
KCNA said that at the unveiling ceremony, Kim “emphasized that the launching of the strategic submarine is part of the drive to push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the Navy.” The North Korean leader also pledged to produce more surface and underwater vessels armed with tactical nuclear weapons for its navy forces, KCNA added.
Images in state media showed the North Korean leader, wearing a light suit and sun hat, speaking to white-uniformed sailors beside the submarine. Also in the images was the North’s leader’s daughter, whose face had been obscured by a blue robe and who stood close to her father as he spoke. It was the fourth known appearance of the woman, who is believed to be about 10 or 11 years old, at a public event linked to the military.
The North has long been pursuing the capability to strike the United States and its allies from below the waves, but how far along the submarine project needs to be clarified. It would take significant time, resources, and technological improvements to build a fleet of submarines that can safely and accurately carry out attacks from underwater.
A submarine-launched nuclear strike could bolster the North’s deterrent by allowing it to attack its neighbors and the United States. Still, analysts warn that such a fleet won’t add much value to the country’s more robust land-based nuclear weapons force. In July, Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who works on North Korea issues with the 38 North website, wrote that Pyongyang’s submarines would most likely take a back seat to its land-based ballistic missiles for some time.
