Kim Jong-un’s hidden motive in criticizing South Korea’s nuclear submarine push

North Korea’s party-run Rodong Sinmun revealed on Dec. 25, 2025, pictures of chief Kim Jong-un receiving a report on the progress of the constructing of an 8,700-tonnage nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine, although the date and site of the go to weren’t made public. (KCNA/Yonhap)

A report revealed by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Christmas Day is a wealthy textual content stuffed with noteworthy diplomatic indicators. 

The article introduced that North Korean chief Kim Jong-un visited a shipyard to offer area steering for the constructing of a “8,700-tonnage nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” whereas characterizing South Korea’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines as a “risk to [North Korea’s] safety that have to be countered.”

 This isn’t the primary time that North Korea has publicly spoken out about South Korea’s push to construct nuclear-powered submarines. On Nov. 18, the state-run KCNA launched a commentary through which it slammed Korea’s possession of nuclear submarines as a “strategic transfer” for “its personal nuclear weaponization,” warning that that is “sure to trigger a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ within the area and spark a scorching arms race.”
 This response got here 4 days after South Korea and the US launched their reality sheet summarizing key agreements reached throughout the South Korea-US summit in Gyeongju on Oct. 29, which additionally included the US’ settlement and permission for Korea to construct nuclear-powered submarines.

 North Korea’s development of nuclear-powered submarines will not be a direct response to the South Korean and US leaders’ settlement to permit Seoul to pursue the development of such submarines. Kim had beforehand declared that constructing nuclear-powered submarines was a part of 5 main strategic duties for the five-year technique for nationwide financial improvement at a congress of the Staff’ Occasion of Korea in January 2021. Kim additionally visited main shipyards to offer area recommendation on the development of a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” in March 2025.

North Korea’s party-run Rodong Sinmun revealed on Dec. 25, 2025, pictures of chief Kim Jong-un receiving a report on the progress of the constructing of an 8,700-tonnage nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine, although the date and site of the go to weren’t made public. (KCNA/Yonhap)

 Regardless of this, Kim appears to have made the strategic determination to problem South Korea’s plans to pursue nuclear-powered submarines by unveiling the hull of a North Korean nuclear-powered submarine nonetheless below development to set off a wide range of responses each inside North Korea and abroad.

 One precedence is to kindle backlash to the settlement between Seoul and Washington rising from Tokyo and Beijing into army and diplomatic stress on Seoul to delay its development of nuclear-powered submarines. 

China may be very evidently disgruntled with the strikes by South Korea, whereas Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lately acknowledged in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun revealed on Dec. 24 that Japan “won’t rule out any choices and can contemplate vital measures to reinforce deterrence and response capabilities” when requested about the opportunity of introducing nuclear submarines to Japan’s arsenal.

 Kim additionally appears intent on sending the message to audiences at house and overseas that North Korea is one step forward of South Korea, having achieved operational functionality of its nuclear subs sooner.
 Kim careworn that the “nuclear protect” represents “the status and honor” of North Korea whereas additionally “completely assure[ing]” its safety, including that the choice made by the ruling social gathering and the federal government will stay “unchanged of their dedication to completely make sure the peaceable setting and absolute safety” of North Korea.

 Moreover, the Rodong Sinmun revealed the complete textual content of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s congratulatory message from Dec. 18, which outlined North Korea-Russia relations as ones of “friendship and alliance,” and emphasised the “invincible friendship and militant fraternity” between the 2 international locations, after holding the assertion for per week.

 That is seen as North Korea’s try to attract a line, signaling that no change needs to be anticipated within the nation’s strengthening of its nuclear protect forward of the ninth social gathering congress that’s to be held in February 2026, in addition to a sign of its intentions to bolster bloc diplomacy centered on its alliance with Russia.

By Lee Je-hun, senior workers author; Jang Ye-ji, workers reporter

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