00:00 "North Korea unveiled its first operational tactical nuclear attack submarine," state
00:06 media said on Friday.
00:08 The boat, named Hero Kim Kanok, has been assigned to the fleet that patrols the waters between
00:13 the Korean Peninsula and Japan, North Korean outlets reported.
00:17 So what is the new vessel, and what does its launch mean for the reclusive country's navy?
00:23 In a speech at the sub's launch ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said it would become one of the main
00:30 "underwater offensive means" of the naval force.
00:34 North Korea's navy has historically been dwarfed by its land forces and overshadowed by its
00:40 rapidly advancing ballistic missile program.
00:42 But over the past year, it has moved to boost its navy with new nuclear weapons, including
00:48 an underwater drone and warships.
00:51 Analysts say the new vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine,
00:57 which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically.
01:03 Shin Seung-ki is a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis and says
01:08 it is expected to carry tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, but may face limitations.
01:13 "Because it has excessively modified the existing Romeo-class submarine, there may be some limitations
01:21 in immediately operating it compared to the existing one.
01:24 However, there is a possibility that North Korea has strengthened the internal structure
01:29 in some way to ensure operation.
01:32 In that regard, while there may be limitations, it is likely that they will continue to develop
01:37 it to a level where it can be operated at some point in the future."
01:42 Such weapons won't add much value to land-based nuclear forces, added former U.S. government
01:47 weapons expert Van Van Diepen, who works with Washington-based 38 North.
01:52 That's because the aging submarine at the core of the design is relatively slow and
01:56 noisy with a limited range.
01:59 Combined, these factors mean it may not survive long in a war and would be vulnerable to anti-submarine
02:05 warfare, he said.
02:06 South Korea's military said that the submarine didn't appear ready for normal operations
02:11 and that there were signs North Korea was attempting to exaggerate its capabilities.
02:16 North Korea's Navy has about 470 surface vessels and around 70 submarines.
02:23 In August, Kim inspected a new Amnok-class corvette, a patrol ship that state media said
02:28 was capable of firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
02:32 Specialist website Naval News dubbed the corvette's weapons and sensors as "severely obsolete"
02:38 in comparison with Western or Asian designs.
02:40 But it maintained that the ship was a major step forward for North Korea, with potentially
02:46 game-changing nuclear cruise missile capability.
02:49 And back in spring, the Navy tested what it called a "nuclear-capable unmanned underwater
02:55 attack weapon."
02:56 It was said to be designed to make sneak attacks in enemy waters, destroy naval strike groups
03:01 and major ports with an underwater explosion.
03:04 A report by 38 North at the time said the weapon's slow speed and limited range made
03:09 it substantially inferior to the existing nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles
03:14 in terms of time to target, accuracy and lethality.
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