North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Friday that the new submarine was part of an “advancement of naval nuclear armament.”
North Korea announced on Friday that it had built a “tactical nuclear attack submarine” as part of its efforts to strengthen its naval forces, North Korean state agency KCNA reported.
The new submarine was unveiled on Wednesday at a ceremony presided over by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said the ship was part of the Navy’s “progress in developing nuclear weapons in the future,” according to KCNA.
“Progress in nuclear armament”
The launch of the submarine, named “Hero Kim Kun Ok,” marked “a new chapter in strengthening the DPRK’s naval forces,” the state agency said, referring to the abbreviation of the official Korean name “North.”
During the ceremony with confetti and balloons, Kim spoke of the “strategic and tactical plan to continuously improve the modernity of the submarine and surface forces and the further development of the Navy’s nuclear weapons in the future,” according to KCNA.
He further stressed that “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons is becoming an urgent task,” according to KCNA. On Thursday, Kim Jong Un inspected the submarine as it prepared for a test trip.