(Seoul) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw test firings of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines and also reviewed efforts to build a nuclear-powered submarine, while reiterating his goal of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he describes as growing external threats, state media said on Monday (local time).
The report comes a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea firing several cruise missiles over waters near the eastern port of Sinpo, where the North has a major shipyard developing submarines. sailors. It is the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations in North Korea amid growing tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan.
The official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun has released photos of what appear to be at least two missiles fired separately. Both created grayish-white clouds by breaking the water’s surface and rising into the air at an angle of about 45 degrees, perhaps suggesting they were fired from tubes of launching torpedoes.
State media said they were Pulhwasal-3-31 missiles, a new type of weapon first tested last week in ground launches from North Korea’s west coast.
Reports suggested that two missiles were fired during the test. KCNA, North Korea’s government news agency, said the missiles flew for more than two hours before precisely hitting an island target, but did not specify the ship used for the launches. In recent years, North Korea has fired missiles from developmental submarines and underwater test platforms built on barges.
Lee Sung Joon, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launches, including the possibility that the North exaggerated flight times.
In recent years, North Korea has tested a variety of missiles designed to be fired from submarines with the aim of carrying out nuclear strikes underwater. In theory, such a capability would enhance its deterrence by ensuring survivability to retaliate after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.
Missile submarines would also add a maritime threat to the growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles designed to overwhelm the missile defenses of South Korea, Japan and the United States.
Still, it would take significant time, resources and technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned country to build a fleet of at least several submarines capable of traveling silently and executing attacks reliably, analysts say.
North Korea’s official news agency said Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction after the missiles accurately hit their maritime targets in Sunday’s test.
He then assigned unspecified important tasks to “achieve nuclear armament of the Navy and expand the sphere of operation”, which he described as crucial objectives given “the current situation and future threats”, the report said. KCNA said Kim Jong-un was also briefed on efforts to develop a nuclear-powered submarine and other advanced military vessels.
Kim Jong-un made similar comments about a nuclear-armed navy in September while attending the launch ceremony for what the North described as a new submarine capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons from water. He then said the country was seeking a nuclear-powered submarine and planned to remodel existing submarines and surface ships so they could handle nuclear weapons.
Exaggerated capabilities, according to South Korea
Nuclear-powered submarines can silently travel long distances and approach enemy shores to launch strikes, which would bolster Kim Jong-un’s stated goal of building a nuclear arsenal that could viably threaten the mainland American. However, experts say such ships are likely unfeasible for the North without outside help in the short term.
North Korea has about 70 to 90 diesel submarines in one of the world’s largest submarine fleets. But most of them are aging ships, capable of only launching torpedoes and mines.
South Korea’s military said the submarine North Korea unveiled in September, the “Hero Kim Kun Ok,” did not appear operationally ready and suggested the North was exaggerating its capabilities.
The submarine appeared to have at least 10 launch tubes possibly designed for missiles. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North should have increased the size of the deck and other parts of the original ship to accommodate the missile launch systems, but that the ship’s appearance suggested that “it could not be used normally”.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen in recent months as Kim Jong-un accelerates his weapons development and issues provocative threats of nuclear conflict with the United States and its Asian allies.
In response, the United States, South Korea and Japan have expanded their combined military exercises, which Kim Jong-un condemns as invasion rehearsals, and refined their deterrence strategies built around U.S. nuclear assets.
The recent cruise missile launches follow a Jan. 14 test firing of North Korea’s first solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile, which reflects Kim Jong-un’s efforts to expand his arsenal of Weapons designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan, as well as distant U.S. targets in the Pacific, including Guam.