Kim Jong Un Observes Submarine Construction and Oversees Missile Test, State Media Says

KCNA via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the construction site of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching surface-to-air missiles in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on 25 December 2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the construction of a submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, and overseen the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles, state media reported on Thursday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missile test was conducted on Wednesday near the country’s east coast. The launch was intended to assess strategic technology for the development of a new type of high-altitude missile and successfully destroyed aerial targets at a distance of 200 kilometres.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the missile test took place at around 5pm local time (0800 GMT), Yonhap News Agency reported. The South Korean military said it had been monitoring launch preparations and was fully prepared for the test.

KCNA also reported that Kim inspected construction work on an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching missiles. The agency did not disclose the location or timing of the visit.

The submarine project forms part of the ruling Workers’ Party’s drive to modernise North Korea’s navy, one of five key policy priorities aimed at strengthening the country’s military capabilities.

Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim at a submarine construction site accompanied by his daughter, Ju Ae. Surrounded by senior officials, Kim is seen smiling as the teenager stands beside him inside an indoor facility housing a red-painted vessel. Some analysts consider Ju Ae to be the leading candidate to succeed her father.

KCNA quoted Kim as saying that North Korea is building multiple attack destroyers and nuclear submarines and is accelerating construction so that the vessels can be rapidly equipped with a range of weapons systems.

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, said in a report on Thursday that the design of the submarine’s hull suggests it is equipped with a nuclear reactor and is nearing operational readiness.

Kim was also quoted as saying that the full-scale development of nuclear capabilities and the modernisation of the navy were “essential and inevitable”, adding that “the present world is by no means peaceful”.

He warned that South Korea’s plans, agreed with Washington, to develop a nuclear-powered submarine would further heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and pose a threat to North Korea’s national security.

North Korean state media also criticised the recent docking of a US nuclear-powered submarine at a South Korean port, describing it as “an act of escalating military tensions” in the region.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s navy said the nuclear-powered submarine Greeneville had arrived at the port of Busan for crew shore leave and logistical resupply.

North Korea also accused Japan this week of signalling an intention to acquire nuclear weapons, claiming Tokyo had been encouraged by South Korea’s move to develop a nuclear-powered submarine.

Source: Reuters, KCNA



PUKMEDIA