Seoul (EFE).- Pyongyang appears to have received «various technologies» from Moscow for the development of submarines, amid the strengthening of their alliance and Pyongyang’s intentions to acquire submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), South Korea said Monday.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back made these remarks at an audit of the ministry before the Parliament’s Defense Committee in response to a lawmaker’s question about whether the North Korean regime had acquired the capability to launch SLBMs, something Pyongyang has sought with tests from underwater platforms.
However, the minister clarified that it was still too early to reach a conclusion.
North Korea currently has two submarines equipped to launch SLBMs and a third is under construction, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The first, known as the «August 24th Hero,» is an experimental ballistic missile submarine, operational since 2016, which can fire a single missile and is primarily used for testing.
The second, the «Hero Kim Kung-ok,» unveiled in 2023, is said to have between six and ten launch tubes for ballistic or cruise missiles, although it is not yet fully operational.
Recent satellite images indicate that Pyongyang has begun construction of a new submarine of the same class at the Sinpo shipyard, suggesting a gradual expansion of its strategic submarine fleet.
Ahn’s statements come amid growing rapprochement between Russia and North Korea, consolidated by the strategic partnership treaty the two countries signed in June 2024.
According to South Korean intelligence, Pyongyang has deployed around 15,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. In return, Kim Jong-un’s regime has received foreign currency, goods, and technology from Moscow.
During his recent visit to Pyongyang, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, met with the North Korean leader and reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to the bilateral treaty, thanking North Korean military personnel for fighting in Russia’s Kursk region. EFE
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