North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a nuclear-powered submarine construction site, North Korean state media reported on March 8. Kim emphasized that North Korea’s maritime defense capabilities would be exercised without restriction, suggesting that these capabilities could be deployed in any waters deemed necessary, including foreign territorial waters.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim “provided on-site guidance for shipbuilding operations at an important shipyard,” but did not disclose the specific location or timing of the visit.
The report also noted that Kim reviewed the progress of the nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine construction, a project that aligns with goals set at a prior Party Congress. Photos released by the agency showed Kim inspecting both surface vessel and submarine construction sites.
During his visit, Kim instructed that “these incomparably revolutionary vessels must fulfill their mission as a nuclear power’s formidable deterrent that will overpower the hostile forces’ entrenched ‘gunboat diplomacy.”
Targeting South Korea and the United States, Kim called them “enemies” that pose a serious threat to North Korea’s sovereignty and interests through the frequent deployment of strategic military assets. He vowed that North Korea would never tolerate their maritime and underwater military activities.
Kim added, “Through significant innovation and transformation in naval power, and with increasingly superior strength, we will firmly safeguard maritime sovereignty and ensure security for the Korean Peninsula and the region.”
Kim also emphasized North Korea’s role in maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying, “The nation’s maritime defense capabilities will be fully exercised in any waters deemed necessary, without limitations.”
North Korea had previously outlined the development of nuclear submarines and underwater-launched nuclear weapons as key objectives in its five-year defense plan announced during the eighth Party Congress in January 2021.
