North Korea criticizes South Korea's nuclear submarines, showing its own under construction. [KCNA/Korean Peninsula Center] 

On Christmas Day, the 25th, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un revealed the construction site of a new 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine being built by North Korea, labeling South Korea's plan to develop a nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) as a "security threat that must be countered." 

This amounts to North Korea, which has openly pursued nuclear armament, framing South Korea's defensive military buildup, which is a non-nuclear capability, as an act of aggression.

North Korea's Nuclear Submarine is a Strategic Submarine Equipped with SLBMs 

The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un provided field guidance for the "nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine construction project" on this day. 

At the site, Kim Jong Un officially announced the completion of its sea-based nuclear power, stating that the submarine is a "crucial component of nuclear war deterrence." North Korea has used terms such as "nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine" and "nuclear strategic attack submarine," which are interpreted as strategic nuclear submarines (SSBNs) equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

Kim Jong Un: "South Korea's Nuclear Submarine Development Infringes on Maritime Sovereignty"

Kim Jong Un specifically stated, "The plan for South Korea to develop nuclear submarines, recently agreed upon with Washington at Seoul's behest, will escalate instability on the Korean Peninsula," and defined it as an "aggressive act that infringes upon national security and maritime sovereignty." 

However, while the submarine North Korea claims to be building is a strategic asset premised on carrying nuclear weapons, South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine initiative is a non-nuclear capability that does not carry nuclear weapons. Framing both as a "threat" on the same level lacks credibility by international standards.

Despite this, Kim Jong Un declared that there would be "no change whatsoever" in North Korea's "national security policy" and "principle of containing the enemy," warning of "merciless retaliatory attacks" in the event of military action. 

Criticism has emerged that this is a typical example of propaganda that shifts blame, where the party escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through nuclear weapon development and ballistic missile tests is now attributing responsibility to South Korea and the ROK-US alliance.

North Korea's Nuclear Submarine Revelation is a Repeated Declaration that Denuclearization is No Longer Possible

Experts lean towards the analysis that this public disclosure is a political move aimed at bolstering internal solidarity and showcasing the regime, rather than a diplomatic message. 

Kim Jong Un chose the symbolic occasion of Christmas to highlight submarine construction and directly declared the navy's "nuclear armament." This is also a scene that once again reveals the practical disappearance of any possibility for denuclearization.

North Korea's Victimhood Performance... Denouncing Defensive Power Buildup as a 'Threat'

At a time when North Korea is seeking to acquire submarines capable of deploying nuclear weapons, its claim that even South Korea's defensive power buildup is a "threat" is unlikely to gain traction in the international community. 

In the paradox where the side possessing nuclear weapons paradoxically claims to be the victim, it is pointed out that the responsibility for tensions on the Korean Peninsula is clear.

Reporter Jung Woo-seok