SEOUL, South Korea: As part of a renewed push to strengthen its naval forces, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the construction of new warships at an eastern shipyard, calling such projects key to the country’s war preparations, state media reported on Friday.
His visit to the Nampho shipyard followed a series of weapons demonstrations in January that fueled heightened tensions with rivals, including tests of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines.
Kim has emphasized his goals in recent months to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation to counter Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programme.
He also recently praised the test launch of a new strategic cruise missile from a submarine, calling it a key moment in the development of the North’s naval power.
“The strengthening of the naval force presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the country and stepping up the war preparations at present,” the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as having said at the Nampho Dockyard.
A nuclear-powered submarine was on Kim’s strategic weapons wish list set at a key party congress in 2021, along with a hypersonic warhead, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.
During his visit to the Nampho Shipyard, about 65 kilometers southwest of Pyongyang, Kim was briefed on various warships under construction as well as preparations for a “new grand plan” commissioned by the ruling party. No details of the plan were provided.
Kim “expressed the expectation that shipyard workers will successfully build world-class large warships,” KCNA said.
North Korea launched what it called its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine” last year, which Seoul’s military said at the time did not appear to be operational.
Analysts said the vessel appeared to be modified from an existing diesel-electric submarine originally designed in the 1950s and raised questions about its limitations and vulnerabilities as a platform.
