North Korea's Kim slams US-Seoul nuclear submarine deal as offensive act'

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hit out at a new nuclear submarine deal between the United States and South Korea, describing it as a threat to the stability of the Korean Peninsula as he toured his country's submarine production facility, according to North Korean state media. Kim said the deal between Seoul and Washington was an offensive act severely violating [Pyongyang's] security and maritime sovereignty and a threat to security that must be countered, according to state news outlet KCNA."

"It was now urgent to further accelerate the radical development of the modernisation and nuclear weaponisation of the naval force of North Korea, Kim said, according to the report. Kim made the remarks as he toured a facility on Wednesday where Pyongyang is working on an 8,700-tonnage nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine. The North Korean leader on Wednesday also oversaw the test firing of a new high-altitude long-range anti-air missile into the Sea of Japan, according to KCNA."

"KCNA reported that the test was successful, and the missile successfully hit a mock target at an altitude of 200 kilometres (124 miles). The developments came as Seoul said it was pursuing a standalone deal with the US to acquire nuclear-powered submarine technology, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. US law bans the transfer of nuclear material for military use,"

Kim Jong Un condemned a new US–South Korea nuclear submarine deal as an offensive act violating Pyongyang's security and maritime sovereignty and a threat that must be countered. He inspected a submarine production facility and urged urgent acceleration of modernisation and nuclear weaponisation of North Korea's naval forces. He toured a site building an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine and oversaw the test firing of a new high-altitude long-range anti-air missile into the Sea of Japan, which KCNA said hit a mock target at 200 kilometres. Seoul seeks US nuclear-powered submarine technology and may seek a US exemption.

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