North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time

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https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-nuclear-submarine-missiles-kim-us-183cde96a36844fdce559081551fc0a7

North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time
By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Updated 1:45 PM CST, March 8, 2025

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S.

The state media agency on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built.

The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn’t provide details on the submarine, but said that Kim was briefed on its construction.

The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said that the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons.

Moon, the submarine expert, said that North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine in return for supplying conventional weapons and troops to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.

He also said that North Korea could launch the submarine in one or two years to test its capability before its actual deployment.




In this undated photo provided on March 8, 2025, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, bottom right, visits a shipyard to construct warships at an undisclosed place in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

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It looks shiny and big