N. Korea's Kim inspects new 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the 25th inspected the construction site of a newly built 8,700-ton-class nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarine.
He condemned South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine initiative as an aggressive move that seriously undermines North Korea’s security and maritime sovereignty, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Kim said the same day that a recent agreement between Seoul and Washington on South Korea’s plan to develop a nuclear-powered submarine, made at Seoul’s request, would further destabilize the Korean Peninsula. He described the move as a serious infringement on national safety and maritime sovereignty and labeled it a security threat that requires a response.
North Korea, which says it is developing a strategic nuclear submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles as part of its nuclear weapons program, criticized South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine that uses a reactor solely for propulsion and does not carry nuclear weapons, calling it a direct threat.
Kim stressed that there has been no change in North Korea’s national security policy or its principles for countering perceived enemies. He warned that any infringement on the country’s strategic sovereignty and security would lead to consequences, adding that attempts at military action would be met with merciless retaliatory strikes, a point he said adversaries must clearly recognize.
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