British News Agency

Images released by state media show Kim Jong Un inspecting the guided missile submarine in a closed construction facility, noting that it has not yet been launched into the sea.

Building a nuclear-powered submarine has long been a goal for Kim; he first mentioned this at the ruling party congress in 2021, but the recent approval by the Trump administration for South Korea to develop its own nuclear-powered submarines seems to have added urgency to Kim's plans.

These types of vessels have many advantages. If they can supply enough provisions for the crew, they can stay underwater for extended periods, even for years. In contrast, most traditional diesel-powered submarines must surface to operate their engines. Diesel engines recharge the submarine's batteries so it can operate at depth.

They are also generally faster than traditional submarines with conventional power and, in many cases, quieter. Currently, this technology is possessed only by the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and India.

The images released on Thursday show that significant progress has been made on the submarine, which was first announced in March.

State media reported that the vessel has a displacement of 8,700 tons, which is roughly equivalent to most of the nuclear-powered Virginia-class attack submarines in the US fleet.