North Korea Unveils Its First Nuclear-Powered Submarine
North Korea’s military modernization underscores the importance of America and its own East Asian allies expanding their own submarine fleets.
The totalitarian dictatorship of North Korea continues to expand its military’s nuclear technological capabilities, and not just in ballistic missiles. The country just unveiled its first nuclear-powered submarine.
North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un is undoubtedly quite giddy about this new submarine. But how much of it is hype as opposed to actual substance?
North Korea’s Latest Submarine
The latest news comes to us from Associated Press (AP) reporter Hyung-Jin Kim in a story republished on MSN on or about March 8, 2024, titled “North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time.” To wit:
“The state media agency on Saturday released photos showing what it called ‘a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,’ as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built … The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn’t provide details on the submarine, but said that Kim was briefed on its construction … The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said that the use of the term ‘the strategic guided missiles’ meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons … ‘It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.’”
From there, the AP article goes on to quote Brian Hughes, deputy national security advisor for strategic communications and spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC), who stated, “We’re aware of these claims and do not have additional information to provide at this time.”
Among the additional information currently unavailable is the projected launch and commissioning dates for the new undersea boat.
Current North Korean Submarine Capabilities
The Korean People’s Army Navy’s (KPANF) currently operational submarine fleet consists of diesel-electric submarines such as:
- Sang-O (“Shark”) class: The most numerous sub in the KPANF fleet, with anywhere from ten (according to the World Directory of Modern Military Warships [WDMMW]) to forty (as per the Nuclear Threat Initiative). The original Sang-O boats, which debuted in 1991, have a top speed of 9 knots, a hull length of 111 feet (34 meters), a beam width of 12.4 feet (3.8 meters), and a displacement of 275 tons, whilst the 2005-vintage Sang-O IIs have a top speed of 15 knots and a 340-ton displacement.
- Sinpo/Gorae (“Whale) Class: The newest and largest submarine designed and built for the KPANF, launched in 2014, with a top speed of 10 knots, a length of 219 feet (66.75 meters), a beam width of 22 feet (6.7 meters), and a surfaced displacement of 1,455 tons. WDMMW reports that two Sinpo hulls are currently operational.
- Yugo and Yono-Class Midget Subs: Of 1965 vintage, with four of the former and nine of the latter in commission. These mini-subs have a 76-ton to 95-ton surface displacement, a 65-foot to 72-foot (20 to 22 meters) hull length, a 9-foot (2.75 meters) beam width, and a submerged speed of 4 to 8 knots.
- Romeo-class Type 033: The second-most numerous boat in the North Korean submarine fleet, with somewhere between six and twenty-two hulls in service, these are the KPANF’s only subs capable of long-range patrols. Produced between 1962 and 1984, the Romeos displace 1,475 tons while surfaced, are 251 feet (76.6 meters) in length and 22 feet (6.7 meters) wide at the beam, and have a top submerged speed of 13 knots.
The Way Ahead
Though North Korea’s nuclear sub hasn’t gone operational yet, its military modernization underscores the importance of America and its own East Asian allies expanding their own submarine fleets’ capabilities, as well as antisubmarine warfare (ASW) technologies such as the T-600 drone and Sting Ray torpedo tandem and the General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian that The National Interest recently reported on.
Whilst the U.S. Navy slowly but surely brings its Virginia-class attack submarines online as replacements for the time-honored Los Angeles-class fast attack boats, Japan and South Korea certainly aren’t slouches in terms of their own submarine fleets. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has some impressive submarines such as the Sōryū (“Blue [or Green] Dragon”) and Taigei (“Big Whale”) class boats, whilst the Republic of Korea Navy has the KS-III AKA Jangbogo-class, Son-Won iI (Type 214/KS-II) class, and Chang Bogo-class subs.
Should the Korean War ever fully resume (remember, it never actually officially ended), hopefully, these weapon systems will be enough to overwhelm the KPANF’s submarine force, nuclear and non-nuclear alike.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Idobi CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.