To counter the increasing US naval power, North Korea has brought forward its new nuclear attack submarine, as stated by the Korean Central News Agency on Friday.
The submarine was developed by North Korea with the intent to build a nuclear-armed navy for the purpose of countering the United States along with its Asian allies.
What is Hero Kim Kun Ok?
The submarine-launched by North Korea is known as the "Hero Kim Kun Ok". It is constructed in a way that it can launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater. While this is known so far, the number of missiles it is capable of carrying and firing is not known yet.
Kim Jong Un, North Korean President expressed his immense satisfaction that North Korea acquired its own nuclear attack submarine in order to counter the advanced naval assets of the United States.
Leader Kim Jong Un said that the milestone is indeed a crucial one in his attempts to develop a nuclear-armed navy to combat the United States, along with its Asian allies.
The official Central News Agency of North Korea stated that the vessel was constructed to launch tactical nuclear weapons underwater. However, the number of missiles the vessel can carry is not known yet.
Are there any doubts about its capabilities?
The South Korean officials show skeptism whether the submarine would actually work as described by North Korea. It further stated that it was actually not ready for operational duty.
On the basis of the comments and photos by Kim Jong Un, it can be said that the submarine is likely to be the same one inspected by Kim in the year 2019 when it was getting constructed. During that time, experts said that the construction is an attempt to transform an existing Romeo-class submarine.
An expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace expressed that, "This submarine, though heavily modified, is based on 1950s Soviet-origin technology and will have inherent limitations. Nevertheless, in terms of complicating the targeting challenges that the U.S. and its allies will face, the submarine will serve North Korea's purposes."
Relations between North Korea and the United States
A nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine was docked by the United States in South Korea for the very first time since the 1980s and that is when tensions between North Korea and the United States increased.
Other Nuclear projects
The Hero Kim Kun Ok is one, but North Korea is also working on other projects including a nuclear-propelled submarine, The country aims to remodel the submarines and surface vessels it has. All such tasks are done to handle nuclear weapons.
-1756312275760.jpg)
Comments
All Comments (0)
Join the conversation