Kim inspects ‘N-powered submarine’ project |

SEOUL:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, state media reported Saturday, saying that “radically” boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang’s defensive strategy.

Kim visited shipyards focused on building warships, the Korean Central News Agency reported, without giving details of the exact date or location of the inspection.

Kim “learned about the building of a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” the report said, which was one of Kim’s key military goals on a laundry list of high tech weaponry unveiled at a previous party congress.

The report is likely referring to a nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles, Yonhap news agency reported, adding this was the first time the nuclear-armed North had revealed construction of a ballistic missile submarine.