North Korea unveils HUGE nuclear-powered submarine as Kim Jong-un oversees long-range missile launch
KIM Jong-un has deployed his latest apocalyptic toy: a vast nuclear-powered submarine.
The tyrant did so while personally overseeing a new round of long-range missile tests, doubling down on a military buildup that is shaking Asia and challenging the West.
North Korean state media released new images of what it claims is an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine, showing a largely completed hull inside a shipyard as Kim visited the site in the company of senior generals – and his teenage daughter, widely seen as a potential heir.
Kim said the ship represented a “historic” advance in his nuclear arsenal and pledged to continue arming the navy as tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalate.
The photos, released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), provide the clearest glimpse yet of the submarine, described by Pyongyang as a “strategic missile submarine” designed to carry nuclear weapons.
Earlier images released in March showed only partial sections of the hull.
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Experts say the latest photos suggest the boat is almost operational.
“Showing the ship in its entirety seems to indicate that most of the equipment has already been installed and it is about to be launched,” said Moon Keun-sik, a submarine expert at Hanyang University in Seoul and a former South Korean navy officer.
He believes the submarine could be tested at sea within a few months.
The revelation comes as KCNA separately reported that Kim oversaw the test-firing of new long-range surface-to-air missiles on Wednesday, with targets destroyed at ranges of up to 200 kilometers.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed several launches from the North’s east coast and said allied intelligence agencies were analyzing the weapons.
Kim used the submarine visit to lash out at Seoul, calling South Korea’s U.S.-backed efforts to develop its own nuclear-powered submarine an “offensive act” that he said seriously violated the North’s security and maritime sovereignty.
He said the South Korean plans only reinforced the need to accelerate the nuclear arming of the North Korean navy.
KCNA said the submarine project was part of a broader effort to modernize the fleet, alongside new attack destroyers and faster construction of ships capable of carrying “various weapons.”
Analysts warn that a nuclear-powered submarine would give Pyongyang a dangerous new advantage – able to stay submerged for long periods and potentially fire missiles from the water, making detection much more difficult for rivals.
But doubts remain about the ability of the sanctions-hit regime to actually master this technology on its own.
Some experts say deepening ties between North Korea and Russia – including announced military support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine – may have helped unlock key know-how.
Others argue that the reactor is likely produced locally, perhaps with limited outside help.
Kim first promised a nuclear submarine in 2021 as part of a broad weapons wish list aimed at countering what he called growing U.S.-led threats.
Since then, North Korea has tested solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, unveiled hypersonic weapons, launched spy satellites and unveiled a new destroyer designed to boost its pre-emptive strike capability.
This show of force comes at a time when diplomacy is in ruins.
Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected calls from Washington and Seoul to restart negotiations on scaling back its nuclear and missile programs, which faltered after a failed summit with Donald Trump during the US president’s first term.
