As if things were not complicated enough, it appears that North Korea is building a second and more capable ballistic missile submarine. In addition to developing inter-continental range ballistic missiles launched from land, North Korea has for several years been working on the ability to launch missiles from submarines. The new ballistic submarine may be capable of launching long to intermediate range nuclear-armed missiles.

There have been reports that the North Koreans have been developing Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) since at least 2014.  In 2016, the North Koreans launched what is believed to be a KN-11 intermediate range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan from a Sinpo B class submarine, also called Gorae (“whale”). 

The new diesel-electric ballistic missile submarine now under construction at North Korea’s Sinpo shipyard, on the country’s east coast, is being referred to Sinpo C  by US intelligence. With a displacement of 2,000 tons and an 11-meter beam, the new sub is larger than the Gorae, Sinpo B. The Gorae is considered to be more of a testing platform, whereas the new submarine is thought to be the first operational SLBM submarine to join the North Korean fleet. When completed, the new sub may be capable of bringing Pyongyang’s nukes to sea.

North Korea is believed to have a fleet of roughly 70 submarines, most of which are technically obsolete and upwards of 40 years old. The addition of even one operational SLBM submarine, which could get significantly closer to US shores before launching a missile, adds an entirely new threat to the mix.