Overview
- State media released images of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic submarine under construction, the fullest view to date of a largely completed hull.
- Experts said the apparent build stage suggests major internal systems may already be installed, though independent verification of readiness remains limited.
- Kim Jong Un observed a test of new high-altitude, long-range surface-to-air missiles that North Korea said hit targets about 200 km away; South Korea’s Joint Chiefs confirmed detecting the launch.
- Pyongyang cast the submarine as part of a plan to nuclear-weaponize its navy, with Kim denouncing South Korea’s US-backed pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines as a threat that compels countermeasures.
- Analysts noted doubts about North Korea’s ability to indigenously produce reactor technology and pointed to the possibility of limited external help, even as Pyongyang deepens ties with Russia.