North Korea’s Illegal, Proxy Nuclear-Powered Submarine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the construction site of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching surface-to-air missiles in this picture released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 25, 2025. KCNA via Reuters
North Korea’s new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), revealed as near ready for launch on Dec. 24, is an illegal nuclear weapon that threatens the United States and its allies and may be at the center of a covert skirmish with Russia, the apparent source of its nuclear power plant.
Rick Fisher
Author
Rick Fisher is a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
