Look at North Korea's New 'Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine'

DPRK leaders pursued a status of nuclear power for decades, considering this weaponry an insurance against Western meddling. In 2006, Pyongyang said it successfully tested its first nuke and in fall 2022 it adopted a comprehensive nuclear use law, indicating the situations and circumstances when this weapon may be unleashed.

North Korea stressed that it is a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” which adheres non-proliferation rule and pledges not to share or transfer nukes or nuclear technologies to third countries.

Its nuclear forces have a wide range of objectives, starting from “defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and fundamental interests of the state” to “preventing a war on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia” while “ensuring the strategic stability of the world."

Yet up to this moment, North Korean nuclear forces were mainly ground-based and the launch of new "tactical nuclear attack submarine" implies the "beginning of a new chapter" for its fleet, as the state-run news agency said.

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North Korea has launched a new "tactical nuclear attack submarine," capable of launching an underwater nuclear attack to strengthen Pyongyang's nuclear deterrence.

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Nuclear-capable submarines can silently travel close to enemy territories and launch strikes from underwater, leaving no chance to intercept missiles.

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Above: Launching ceremony for North Korea's new submarine.

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The ceremony for the launch of the submarine was the "beginning of a new chapter" to bolster up the naval forces of North Korea and the country's government to "further strengthen the state nuclear deterrence both in quality and quantity and by leaps and bounds for regional and global peace and security," media reports said.

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Military experts believe that the new submarine is capable of transporting and launching up to ten Pukguksong-3 missiles - a solid-fuelled missile with a range of 1,900km.

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The new submarine will be a cornerstone of Pyongyang's maritime strategy.

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Kim Jong-un unveiled the ambitious goal of further enhancing North Korean naval armament capabilities.

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This program implies the construction of nuclear-powered submarines within the next five to ten years.

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Kim Jong-un describes his military buildup plan as "low-cost ultra-modernization".

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This approach focuses on enhancing existing equipment to maximize its operational effectiveness.

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Above: Launching ceremony for North Korea's new submarine.

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The submarine is named after a North Korean historical figure who managed to sink the USS Baltimore in 1950 during the conflict between North and South.

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By launching this submarine, Pyongyang boosted its deterrence amid rising geopolitical risks on the Korean Peninsula.