DPRK is building a nuclear submarine - South Korean intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
South Korean intelligence has revealed signs that the DPRK is building a new submarine with a possible nuclear engine. The boat is being built in the Sinpo area and is expected to be larger than previous models.
North Korea (DPRK) has probably started building a new submarine. It will be powered by nuclear fuel. This is reported by The War Zone with reference to South Korean intelligence, UNN writes.
Details
According to a South Korean official, the DPRK appears to have begun building a new submarine that could be nuclear powered. This development would be in line with previous reports and would follow the launch last September of a converted Romeo-class diesel-electric submarine from the Cold War, designed to carry ballistic missiles.
Partial signs have been detected that look like the start of construction of a submarine. As the construction is still in its early stages, further confirmation is needed as to whether it is nuclear powered,
An anonymous South Korean military official told the local Yonhap news agency that construction work on the submarine was discovered in the northeastern district of Sinpo - presumably at the Pongdae Submarine Factory - and that the boat would be larger than previous ones built by North Korea.
Its exact tonnage and other details will be determined when progress is made,
The South Korean military's assessment that the new submarine may have a nuclear engine appears to be based on its size, as there is currently no publicly available evidence that North Korea has developed a suitable nuclear reactor for such a boat.
The publication adds that back at the party congress in January 2021, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un announced that "the design of a new nuclear submarine has been studied and is in the final verification stage." Kim added that work on the design of various weapons and sensors for such a design has already been completed.
The upcoming North Korean nuclear submarine was mentioned by the country's state media after Kim Jong Un presided over the launching ceremony of a diesel-electric submarine called Hero Kim Kun Ok, which took place in Sinpo on September 6, 2023.
