North Korea has developed a submarine that can be equipped with nuclear weapons, the country’s official news agency reports. The South Korean military does not know whether this claim is true.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the inauguration ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, the North Korean news agency KCNA reported on Friday.
The submarine is part of an ongoing effort to modernize the country’s navy with nuclear weapons, Kim said during the confetti and balloon-themed ceremony. He promised that several naval vessels, both submarines and ships, would be equipped with tactical nuclear weapons.
On Thursday, Kim inspected the submarine as it prepared for a test dive.
– Arming the navy with nuclear weapons is an important task, he said.
They can exchange this: – Catastrophic
Large submarine fleet
The submarine apparently has ten launch tubes, four of which are larger than the other six, suggesting they could be designed for missiles, according to the AP news agency.
– This submarine, although heavily modified, is based on Soviet technology from the 1950s and will have some limitations. Still, it will serve North Korea’s goals, said Ankit Panda, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank.
OPENING CEREMONY: Kim Jong-un during the opening ceremony of the country’s new submarine. The photo was taken by North Korea’s state-controlled news agency. Photo: Korean Central News Agency
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North Korea has a large fleet of diesel-powered submarines, but so far its fleet has only one experimental submarine capable of launching missiles.
South Korea doubts
South Korea’s Ministry of Reunification condemned the launch of the submarine on Friday. Kim’s actions only harm the lives of North Koreans and their human rights, a ministry spokesperson said.
At the same time, the South Korean military doubts that the submarine works as North Korea claims. “There are signs of deception and exaggeration,” said a statement from the general staff.
In recent years, North Korea has tested a number of missiles designed to be launched from submarines. In theory, the ability to launch nuclear missiles from submarines would strengthen North Korea’s deterrence capability, as it opens the door to retaliation if the country is hit by a land-based nuclear attack.
