North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine plans during an inspection of his nation's submarine project, labeling it a threat to security. He pledged to counter the move and push forward naval nuclear armament. State media reported the remarks on December 25, 2025.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the construction site of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine around December 24, 2025. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), he stated that South Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines "will worsen the instability in the region of the Korean Peninsula" and regarded it as "an offensive act severely violating its security and maritime sovereignty." DPRK refers to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
Kim described it as "a threat to its security that must be countered," emphasizing the need to make the enemy "surely forced to pay a dear price when they violate the security of the DPRK's strategic sovereignty and ... face a merciless retaliatory attack if they try to select a military option." He noted, "The DPRK will continue to show such capabilities and this goes just as the responsible exercise of the true nuclear war deterrent and a reliable shield for defending sovereignty."
He affirmed that nuclear forces aim to "permanently ensuring the peaceful environment and absolute security of the country," calling the new nuclear submarine "an epoch-making crucial change ... (in) the war deterrent level." Kim reaffirmed "the strategic and tactical policy to steadily push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the navy."
The project was first unveiled in March at a party congress, and Kim claimed that attack destroyers and nuclear submarines under construction will "make a leap forward in bolstering up the combat capabilities of our fleets." He vowed to "increase and expand the speed and scale of building various surface and underwater warships and continuously equip them with different offensive weapon systems."
During the inspection, he also reviewed research on new underwater secret weapons under development and unveiled a strategic plan for reorganizing the naval forces and establishing new units. These statements underscore North Korea's intent to strengthen its military posture, potentially heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
