North Korea has unveiled striking new images of its first nuclear-powered submarine, a massive 8,700-tonne behemoth that signals a bold leap in its naval ambitions on Thursday. This isn’t just hardware it’s a calculated flex amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea personally inspected the nuclear-powered submarine at a shipyard, standing alongside top officials and even his daughter, as the moment was captured in detail, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Kim’s daughter believed to be Kim Ju Ae, raises speculations that he is preparing her as future successor. She has accompanied her father to many previous public events where they have been photographed.
Progress unveiled
Back in March 2025, North Korea first teased photos of the submarine’s early construction stages, showing mostly lower sections under assembly. Thursday’s images reveal the full hull, painted in burgundy with anti-corrosion coating, suggesting major strides forward, possibly including a nuclear reactor already installed inside.
Experts like Hong Min from Seoul’s Institute for Unification noted that the vessel rivals US Virginia-class submarines in size and could launch within two years, maybe even undergoing sea tests in months.
“North Korea could conduct missile tests [with the submarine] after launching it within the next two years,” he said.
Kim’s fiery rhetoric
During the visit, Kim hailed the submarine as the cornerstone of North Korea’s defense, calling it’s “super-powerful offensive capability” the ultimate shield for national security. He slammed a US-backed deal for South Korea to acquire its own nuclear-powered submarines as a direct “offensive act” violating Pyongyang’s sovereignty.
This comes hot on the heels of Kim overseeing a successful test of a new long-range surface-to-air missile into the Sea of Japan, hitting a target at 200 kilometers altitude.
Strategic implications
The submarine, dubbed a “strategic guided missile submarine” or “nuclear attack submarine,” is built to carry ballistic and cruise missiles, potentially nuclear-armed, plus torpedoes, enabling stealthy underwater strikes that are tough to detect or intercept.
Analysts suspect Russian tech assistance, traded for North Korean troops and arms in Ukraine, fueling this rapid progress despite long-standing doubts about Pyongyang’s reactor know-how. It’s part of Kim’s 2021 wishlist of game-changers like solid-fuel ICBMs, hypersonics, and spy satellites, all aimed at countering perceived US-led threats.
Regional ripples
Tensions simmer as South Korea eyes its seventh nuclear submarine worldwide, backed by US President Donald Trump, while US vessels patrol the Pacific. North Korea terms this naval push as essential modernisation, but it escalates the arms race, with experts warning of harder-to-track nuclear threats from the deep. As the hull gleams in those state photos, one can’t help but wonder–how soon until it prowls silently beneath the waves?