North Korea’s Underwater ‘Apex Predator’ – and What it Will Mean 

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Headlines from North Korea rarely bring good news in the realm of global security, but this week’s bulletin from Pyongyang was particularly concerning to close watchers of the country: North Korea is well on its way to building a nuclear-powered submarine. 

The country’s state media released photos of what it called a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” that was under construction, and showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting shipyards where it was being built. The Associated Press quoted a South Korean expert estimating that that the 6,000–7,000-ton submarine could carry 10 nuclear-capable missiles, significantly enhancing the North’s ability to launch underwater attacks.