North Korea says new sub has nuclear attack capabilities

North Korea launched its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine” Friday, according to state media.

The diesel-powered submarine, dubbed “Hero Kim Kun Ok” and based on the Soviet Romeo class, can carry nuclear-tipped missiles, crucial to counter the U.S. Navy in the region, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said.

“The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK,” state media said Friday.

It is believed to have 10 missile tubes, four larger than the others, which North Korean media said are capable of firing missiles from underwater.

Defense analysts shared doubts that the new submarine would significantly bolster North Korea’s naval threat, saying the Soviet design the submarine is based on is poor and outdated.

“This submarine, though heavily modified, is based on 1950s Soviet-origin technology and will have inherent limitations. Nevertheless, in terms of complicating the targeting challenges that the U.S. and its allies will face, the submarine will serve North Korea’s purposes,” Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Associated Press.

Kim outlined a need to modify the country’s existing naval forces to handle nuclear weapons, describing a nuclear-armed navy as an “urgent task,” state media said. He also committed to developing a nuclear-propelled submarine, which would be able to stay underwater and at sea for extremely long periods.

“The nuclear attack submarine, for decades a symbol of aggression against our republic, has now become a symbol of our revolutionary power to strike fear into the hearts of our despicable enemies,” Kim said, according to state media.

The South Korean military doubted the submarine’s claimed capabilities.

“There are signs of deception or exaggeration,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, with no further detail.

The submarine’s launch is timed to celebrate the country’s 75th anniversary, North Korean media said, which falls Saturday.

The move comes as North Korea is expected to negotiate an arms deal with Russia, sending small arms support for the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The North could request advanced missile technologies or satellite capabilities in return, defense analysts told the AP.