North Korea’s state news released images on Tuesday of leader Kim Jong Un inspecting what appeared to be a submarine under construction, with Kim stating the sub would soon be deployed to North Korea’s territorial waters.
Professor Kim Young-Joon of the Korea National Defence University says North Korea is attempting to build a viable nuclear-armed submarine to enhance its deterrence capabilities, as submarines are harder to track and destroy.
North Korea maintains about 70 submarines according to South Korean estimates, though military experts believe only one is advanced enough to fire nuclear missiles.