North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a newly built submarine facility on Tuesday, prompting speculation of renewed development of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) program.

During the visit, he ordered officials to further bolster national military capabilities, according to state media.

Kim reportedly expressed "great satisfaction" with the vessel upon being briefed about its operational and tactical data and weapon systems, stressing the "need to steadily and reliably increase the national defense capability by directing big efforts to the development of the naval weapons and equipment such as submarine."

It was not revealed where the inspection took place, but the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the submarine's operational deployment "is near at hand."

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Third Kim-Trump meeting It was the third meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in just over a year. The first Trump-Kim summit took place in Singapore in June last year. A meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was held in February 2019. Both meetings failed to provide a clear roadmap for North Korea's denuclearization.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Making history Trump made history on June 30 with his latest encounter with Kim. He's the first sitting US president to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides South and North Korea. Trump briefly crossed into North Korea as he shook hands with Kim. He said he was "proud to step over the line."

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Watching over the North Prior to his meeting with Kim, Trump flew to the DMZ with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The US president met with South Korean and American troops as he watched over North Korea from a military post in the DMZ. US presidents in the past have visited American troops on the South Korean side but not set foot in the DMZ.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea 'Great friendship' From calling Kim Jong Un "little rocket man" to someone he has a "certain chemistry" with, Trump has come a long way in his dealing with North Korea. On June 30, he once again emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean dictator. Kim, too, hailed his "wonderful" relationship with Trump, saying the latest meeting would enable nuclear talks.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea 'In no rush' Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse over nuclear talks, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough. Although his previous two meetings with the North Korean leader didn't yield any result, Trump said he was "in no rush" to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Regime survival Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival. In March, new satellite imagery suggested that North Korea started rebuilding a rocket launch site before Kim and Trump's Vietnam summit in Feruary. The site had been dismantled last year as part of Kim's denuclearization pledge. Author: Shamil Shams



At odds with promises

The new submarine comes despite continuing nuclear diplomacy with the US and repeated overtures that the country might be willing to abandon its nuclear program in return for political and economic benefits.

US President Donald Trump met for the third time at the Korean border late last month and agreed to resume nuclear negotiations.

However, the country warned last week that it may resume nuclear and missile tests after a 20-month hiatus in protest of planned military drills between the United States and South Korea.

In the past, North Korea claimed to have successfully test-fired ballistic missiles from submarines, though actual operational capabilities are speculated to be a long way off.

Analysts said the apparent size of the new submarine indicated that it was designed to eventually carry missiles.

"We can clearly see that it is a massive submarine — much larger than the existing one that's been well known since 2014," Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the U.S.-based Federation of American Scientists, told Reuters news agency.

The country maintains one of the world's largest submarine fleets, but it is aging and may not be entirely operational.

aw/msh (Reuters, AP, AFP)

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