Russia may have helped North Korea build its first nuclear-powered submarine – NYT
Photo: Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russia likely helped North Korea build its first nuclear-powered submarine. In particular, Moscow may have assisted Pyongyang in exchange for troops and weapons for use in the war in Ukraine, according to The New York Times.
Hong Min, an expert on the North Korean military at the Korea Institute for National Unification, suggested that North Korea received technological assistance from the aggressor country.
According to him, Moscow may have provided this assistance in exchange for the deployment of North Korean troops and the supply of weapons to Russia to continue the war in Ukraine.
Hong Min also commented on footage of North Korea’s first nuclear-powered submarine.
The completed and welded hull "means that they have already mounted a nuclear reactor inside,” he said.
The expert’s comments came after North Korean media released photos today, December 25, showing a nuclear submarine inspected by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea’s state news agency reported that the country is building its first nuclear-powered submarine. It is equipped with strategic guided missiles.
North Korean media say the submarine, with a displacement of 8,700 tons, features new "secret underwater weapons."
In September, Kim Jong Un said North Korea would introduce a new policy aimed at the simultaneous development of nuclear forces and conventional armed forces. He stressed that the new course should become a "key factor in strengthening the country’s defense capability and ensuring national security."
In addition, tests of unmanned weapons were conducted under the leadership of the North Korean leader. He reviewed the characteristics and combat use of various drones and then ordered that their capabilities be enhanced with the use of artificial intelligence.
