Kim Jong Un promises to demonstrate North Korea’s naval nuclear power in eight months

Kim Jong Un has raised the prospect of a major new North Korean naval weapons announcement, saying the country will demonstrate an important plan to strengthen its naval nuclear forces in eight months.

He made the statement in a speech at the commissioning ceremony for the Kang Kon at Wonsan Port. The 5,000-ton destroyer is described as capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons and has just entered operational service.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim said North Korea needed to make its “powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent more evident.” He also said, “We will once again demonstrate to the world, eight months from now, the important plan currently being implemented to strengthen our naval forces.”

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We need to make our powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent more evident.

The remarks have prompted analysis that North Korea could unveil a new strategic asset, potentially including a strategic nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine. The report says North Korea displayed an almost completed SSBN hull in December last year.

The announcement came as US President Donald Trump proposed US-North Korea talks. The report interprets Kim’s warning, following earlier ICBM developments, as another effort to pressure Washington to fully abandon what Pyongyang calls its “hostile policy.”

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We will once again demonstrate to the world, eight months from now, the important plan currently being implemented to strengthen our naval forces.