Overview
- State media released photos of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided-missile submarine under construction, which Kim Jong Un inspected alongside his daughter.
- KCNA said Kim observed a test of a new long-range, high-altitude surface-to-air missile, and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs confirmed detecting the launch on Dec. 24.
- KCNA claimed the missiles hit mock targets at about 200 kilometers, a capability North Korea framed as part of broader air defense development.
- Kim condemned South Korea’s U.S.-backed pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and called for accelerating the nuclear weaponization and modernization of the North’s navy.
- Experts noted these are the first full-hull images since March and assessed that many internal systems may already be in place, while questions persist over reactor technology and potential outside assistance.