Kim Jong Un inspects a missile launcher production facility
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspects a missile launcher production facility with his daughter Ju Ae (centre L). Latin Times

Kim Jong Un was pictured on Saturday inspecting North Korea's first nuclear-powered submarine, which experts say poses a major risk to the United States and South Korea.

State media released photos of the "nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine," which is still under construction, in a North Korean shipyard. Un was captured beside the vessel as he was briefed on its construction progress, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The submarine appears to weigh between 6,000 and 7,000 tons and may be able to carry 10 missiles, Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert, told the Associated Press.

"It would be absolutely threatening to us and the US," Moon told the AP.

How North Korea, an impoverished country, was able to amass the resources to create this nuclear weapon has drawn speculation from experts.

According to Moon, Russia may be aiding North Korea's nuclear war effort in exchange for North Korea's military aid during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Moon suggests Russia may have offered key technological assistance to help North Korea build a nuclear reactor.

The submarine is one of many nuclear weapons Un said he was hoping to create during a political conference 2021. He also expressed a desire for solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites and multi-warhead missiles.

Originally published on Latin Times

Nuclear weapons