SEOUL, September 8. /TASS/. The DPRK’s fleet of upgraded diesel-electric submarines is an easy way to force South Korea and Japan to spend more on a costly missile defense, Andrey Lankov, a professor at South Korea's Kookmin University and expert of the Valdai Discussion Club, told TASS in an interview.
He explained that the new type of submarines armed with tactical nuclear weapons could pose a threat to both South Korea and Japan, for in the event of a conflict they would enable Pyongyang to strike from "directions unprotected by missile defense systems".
"South Korea's air and missile defense systems are configured to deflect a possible attack from North Korean territory. If North Korea has nuclear weapon carriers that can maneuver and strike from points that are war away from the country's territory, this will require measures to considerably strengthen air and missile defense forces, which will be expensive with a rather unclear result," the expert stressed.
The Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine, which was ceremonially launched in the presence of the DPRK leader on September 6, is a modification of the Romeo-class submarine, a Soviet submarine from the late 50s. According to Lankov, Kim Jong-un emphasized that upgrading the available fleet was "the most inexpensive way of building nuclear-armed submarines."
Apart from being a major contribution to strengthening the naval component of the DPRK's strategic forces, the new submarine is another milestone on the way to diversifying the nuclear weapons delivery vehicles, Lankov noted. He recalled the existence of what he described as "exotic" means: a railroad missile system and a system capable of launching a missile from the bottom of a water reservoir. Such diversification reduces the vulnerability of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles to preemptive strikes and interception.
US stance and research potential
Lankov pointed out that the DPRK's current submarines did not pose a serious threat to the United States. He also expressed doubts that the commissioning of the submarine had been accelerated in response to Washington's actions. On July 18, the US Navy’s strategic submarine with nuclear weapons on board arrived in South Korea for the first time in 40 years. The ceremony was held ahead of the 75th anniversary of the DPRK, to be celebrated on September 9.
The expert recalled that the sea endurance of diesel-electric subs was far shorter than that of nuclear-powered ones. Kim said in his speech, though, that the new submarine was capable of becoming no less of a problem for the opponents than nuclear-powered vessels.
At the same time, Lankov called for taking North Korea's technical capabilities seriously.
"This is a serious achievement of the North Korean defense-industrial complex. Most observers have systematically underestimated their scientific and technical potential in the military field," he said, admitting that in other areas their assessments were "sensible."
On September 6, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un attended the launch of the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine equipped with tactical nuclear weapons. He said that the authorities planned to modernize all their existing heavy submarines in the same fashion.