North Korea may be building nuclear missile submarines
South Korean intelligence has detected signs that North Korea is building a new submarine capable of firing nuclear-tipped missiles.
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North Korea test-launched a ballistic missile from a submarine in April 2016. Photo:KCNA. |
Kim Hack-yong, former chairman of the South Korean parliament's defense committee, said on July 6 that North Korea is likely developing a new submarine in the eastern port city of Sinpo, citing intelligence sources.WSJ.
An aide to Kim said South Korean intelligence detected the movement of many North Korean workers and materials being gathered at the port of Sinpo, where submarine construction appears to be taking place at indoor facilities..
Kim, a conservative and skeptical of negotiations with North Korea, said Pyongyang's new submarine under construction could carry and fire ballistic missiles loaded with nuclear warheads.
US military intelligence in the tOctober 2017also found evidence that North Korea is rushing to build a diesel-electric ballistic missile submarine at the port of Sinpo. The submarine, estimated to have a displacement of about 2,000 tons and a width of about 11 meters, is Pyongyang's largest naval asset since the appearance of the Najin-class frigate.
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The port city of Sinpo is located in eastern North Korea. Graphics:Google Map. |
Information provided by Kim Hack-yongThe announcement came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is visiting North Korea and is expected to urge Pyongyang to make firmer commitments on the denuclearization process.
Meanwhile, five US officials late last month cited intelligence reports saying that North Korea has accelerated production of materials used to make nuclear warheads at multiple secret facilities in recent months, despite its commitment to "work toward complete denuclearization" made at the US-North Korea summit on June 12.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have eased significantly afterThe US-North Korea summit in June in Singapore. However, the joint statement after the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump was considered lacking in specificity, as it contained no binding terms for North Korea to end its missile and nuclear programs.
