North Korea says it has developed a new nuclear attack…

In scenes uncomfortably reminiscent of a children’s birthday party, a laughing Kim Jong Un stole a Navy Admiral’s hat to manic applause as he heralded the launch of North Korea’s first nuclear attack submarine.

Dystopian footage showed the moment cheeky expression creased the face of the plump dictator as he removed his own hat and plonked that of Admiral Kim Myong Sik down on his own head, giggling as he did so. 

The move prompted his other Naval chiefs to break out in a round of enthusiastic clapping, shuffling from one foot to another and beaming like excitable infants as they lauded their dynastic leader. 

The clip perfectly encapsulates the cult of personality surrounding Kim and cut a sharp juxtaposition with the seriousness of the event at which it unfolded.    

Kim described the launch of the new submarine as a crucial step in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel – named ‘Hero Kim Kun Ok’ – is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire.

South Korean officials were sceptical that the submarine would work as North Korea described and said it likely wasn’t ready for operational duty. 

But its launch underscored the North’s commitment to extending the range of its nuclear arsenal with systems that are harder to detect in advance.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, front left, attends a launching ceremony of submarine ‘Hero Kim Kun Ok’

Dystopian footage showed the moment cheeky expression creased the face of the plump dictator as he removed his own hat

He plonked the hat of Admiral Kim Myong Sik down on his own head, giggling as he did so

The move prompted his other Naval chiefs to break out in a round of enthusiastic clapping, shuffling from one foot to another and beaming like excitable infants

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, second left, looks at nuclear attack submarine ‘Hero Kim Kun Ok’ at an unspecified place in North Korea Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023

The submarine is seen in the dock as hundreds of Navy personnel stand to attention 

Based on Kim Jong Un’s comments and photos by North Korean state media, it’s likely the submarine is the same one Kim inspected in 2019 while it was under construction, which experts then assessed as an effort to convert an existing Romeo-class submarine. 

The submarine appears to have at least 10 launch tubes – four of them apparently larger than the other six – that are possibly designed for missiles.

North Korea previously had only one known submarine capable of firing a missile, but that vessel has a single launch tube and analysts had considered it a test platform.

North Korea has an estimated about 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of the world’s largest submarine fleets. But they are mostly ageing subs capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles.

‘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,’ said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

North Korea previously had been testing a variety of missiles designed to be fired from submarines as it pursued the ability to conduct nuclear strikes from underwater, which in theory would bolster its deterrent by ensuring a survivable capability to retaliate after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.

Ballistic missile submarines would also add a maritime threat to the North’s growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles that are designed to overwhelm missile defences in South Korea and Japan.

Still, it would take considerable time, resources and technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of at least several submarines that could travel quietly and reliably execute attacks, analysts say.

Kim Jong Un smiles as Navy chiefs applaud at the unveiling of their new submarine

Kim Jong Un, centre, attends a launching ceremony of what KCNA says a new nuclear attack submarine at an unspecified place in North Korea Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023

Launch of North Korea’s first tactical nuclear attack submarine

In speeches at the vessel’s launching ceremony on Wednesday and an onboard inspection on Thursday at a military shipyard, Kim expressed satisfaction the country has acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the U.S., KCNA said. 

It comes after the U.S. docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s in July.

Kim said the country is also pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing submarines and surface vessels so they can handle nuclear weapons, describing the building of a nuclear-capable army as an ‘urgent task’.

But South Korea’s military insisted North Korea was exaggerating the submarine’s capabilities. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North had to increase the size of the bridge and other parts of the original vessel to accommodate missile launch systems but that the appearance of the new submarine suggested that it could ‘not be operated normally’.

‘There are signs of deception or exaggeration,’ the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without elaborating.

Kim in recent weeks has been emphasising the need to strengthen the country’s navy, a focus that some analysts say could be driven by a desire to expand military cooperation with Russia, which has suggested the possibility of combined military exercises between the countries.

There’s also speculation that Kim is preparing to visit Russia soon for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin for discussions on North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.

In exchange for providing Russia with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could seek badly needed economic aid and also advanced weapons technologies, including those related to submarine-launched ballistic missile systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles and military spy satellites, analysts say.

But it’s unclear whether Russia, which has always closely guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key allies like China, would be willing to provide North Korea major technology transfers in exchange for what’s likely to be limited war supplies.

Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a launching ceremony

Kim Jong Un acknowledges participants amid a naval parade

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, centre, boards the submarine

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un waves to state press and greets navy dignitaries

Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a launching ceremony of what KCNA says a new nuclear attack submarine ‘Hero Kim Kun Ok’

Nuclear-propelled submarines, which can quietly travel long distances and approach enemy shores to deliver strikes, are among a long list of advanced weapons systems Kim has been openly pursuing as he attempts to build a nuclear arsenal that could viably threaten the U.S. mainland. But such vessels are going to be largely unfeasible for the North without external assistance in the near-term, Panda said.

‘Russian assistance could be quite helpful here, but it’s unclear if Moscow would be willing to share this sensitive technology,’ he said.

Kim insisted that the submarine revealed this week would be just as ‘daunting’ to his enemies as the nuclear-propelled submarine North Korea plans to acquire in the future.

‘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,’ KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Kim Inae, a spokesperson at South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said during a briefing it was ‘deplorable’ that North Korea was continuing to channel its limited resources into developing weapons while ignoring the struggles of its deeply impoverished people.

She didn’t provide a specific answer when asked whether Seoul believes Russia might have provided technological assistance to the North on its new submarine.

KCNA said the launching of the submarine was timed for the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, which falls on Saturday and was to be marked by festivities, including a paramilitary parade.