Russia and North Korea have been idilio with All types of gifts. It all started in April 2024, when we saw Kim Jong a A armored limousine that came with Moscow loop. Since then, between both nations they The “packages” have happened: tigers, bears, raw, missiles, soldiers… lack of official confirmation, everything seems to indicate that the fears of the United States and its allies about the “nuclearization” of Korean with Russian aid is underway. There are even photos of the last “toy.”
The first nuclear submarine. North Korea has confirmed that he is building Your first nuclear submarine with the aim of strengthening its attack capacity with atomic weapons. In A report Published on the weekend by the state agency KCNA (Korean Central News Agency), the images showed the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a part of what seems to be the new submarine, one of significantly larger size than those currently owned by the Nation.
No doubt, the announcement occurs in a context of growing international concern, especially in the United States and South Korea, since both nations fear that Russia is providing Technological support to Korea from the north to modernize its army in exchange for Supply of troops and weapons conventional for the War in Ukraine.
The context of the project. What we officially know is that, during his visit to an unidentified naval shipyard, Kim Jong-un He received a report on the advances in the construction of the “strategic submarine of guided nuclear propulsion missiles”. The state media also spread photographs in which the helmet of said submarine under construction is observed, which would mark the first time North Korea shows visual evidence of a nuclear submarine in development.
In this regard, it is known that the nation has dozens of submarines of the Soviet era, All diesel-electricalwhich means that they must frequently emerge to recharge their batteries, limiting their autonomy and stealth capacity in long -range missions. Hence, a nuclear propulsion submarine is A paradigm shift that would allow Pyongyang to operate covert in distant waters, approaching without being detected to strategic objectives and, if necessary, launch nuclear missiles from unexpected positions.
Possible characteristics. The submarine could belong to the class 6,000 to 7,000 tons and transport up to 10 missiles, According to Moon Keun-SikSpecialist in Submarines and Professor at Hanyang University in Seoul. Obviously, the mention of “guided strategic missiles” in the report suggests that the boat would be designed to Port nuclear weaponswhich would significantly increase the attack capacity of North Korea.
As we indicated before, if this project materializes, it would give Pyongyang the ability to launch missiles from a submerged platform, which would make the early detection of its attacks more difficult by its rivals. In fact, the United States National Security Council, through its spokesman Brian Hughes, said that I was aware of the statements North Korea, although it did not provide additional information. “The United States is still committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” he reiterated.
Kim’s wishes. We said it at the beginning. Since 2021Kim Jong-un identified the construction of a nuclear submarine as one of the priorities of its defense policy. However, until now, analysts have indicated that the nation lacked the technical and engineering capacity to develop a compact nuclear reactor capable of propeller a submarine.
That year the “leader” presented A “wish list” which included intercontinental ballistic missiles of solid fuel, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites, missiles with multiple nuclear heads and finally nuclear propulsion submarines. What has changed? Moscow.
Russia appears. With the growing military cooperation Between Pyongyang and Moscow, the possibility that Russia provides technological assistance in exchange for the Thousands of soldiers and large amounts of ammunition that North Korea has sent to support the Russian invasion in Ukraine. According to Yang Moo-JinPresident of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, this strategic exchange is the one that will significantly accelerate the development of the North Korean nuclear submarine.
The expert in submarines Moon Keun-Sik argued that Russia was behind providing technological assistancepossibly in the construction of a compact nuclear reactor to propel the submarine. He even ventured to estimate that if North Korea manages to complete development, the submarine could be tested in the next one or two before its operational deployment.
The precedent of 2023 and the doubts. The announcement of this new submarine comes after North Korea will present in 2023 Its first “nuclear tactical attack submarine”, a model based on an old diesel submarine of the Soviet era, supposedly modified to launch nuclear missiles.
The problem? That the South Korean army He expressed skepticism On the viability of the vessel, pointing out that its design seemed defective and not very operational. To date, in fact, there is no evidence that North Korea has managed to launch missiles From that platform. In contrast, the new submarine, according to experts, seems to be a larger size to the 2023 model And it would take the title of “Strategic Submarine of Guided Missions of Nuclear Propulsion”, which suggests that it would be designed to launch both nuclear ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Strategic implications and danger. If North Korea manages to successfully develop an operational nuclear submarine, it would significantly change the military balance in the region, increasing Pyongyang’s capacity to perform those surprise attacks that we commented and hindering the detection of its launch platforms. In addition, the possibility that Russia and North Korea Expand your cooperation military generates a serious concern for the United States, South Korea (and Japan), which could face a more sophisticated and difficult threat to counteract in the coming years.
Although there are still doubts about the real ability of North Korea to complete a project of these characteristics without foreign assistance, the growing relationship with Moscow suggests that the Kim Jong-un regime could be closer than ever to achieve that strategic weapon that gives it greater deterrence of deterrence (and extortion) in the global geopolitics.
Image | Korean Central News
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