View source for Engineering:North Korean submarine Hero Kim Kun Ok

{{Short description|North Korean nuclear missile submarine}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin <!-- submarines -->
| infobox caption = <!-- keywords: yes, nodab; or caption text -->
| display title = North Korean submarine ''Hero Kim Kun Ok''
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{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:North Korean Submarine Hero Kim Kun OK.jpg
| Ship image size = 300px
| Ship caption = View of ''Hero Kim Kun Ok'', showing the starboard side of the submarine
| image alt = Hero Kim Kun ok Submarine.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = North Korea
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|North Korea|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Hero Kim Kun Ok''
| Ship namesake = Kim Kun Ok
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = Sinpo South shipyard
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 6 September 2023
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 7 September 2023
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = 
| Ship class = [[Engineering:Sinpo-class submarine|Sinpo-C]]-class [[Engineering:Submarine|submarine]]
| Ship displacement = 
| Ship length = {{cvt|86|m|ftin}}
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| Ship armament = * [[Engineering:Submarine-launched ballistic missile|Submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s
* [[Engineering:Cruise missile|Cruise missile]]s
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
{{Infobox Korean name
|context=north
|rr     = Gim Gunok Yeongungham
|mr     = Kim Kunok Yŏngungham
}}

'''''Hero Kim Kun Ok''''' ({{lang-ko|김군옥영웅함}}) or '''''Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine No. 841''''', is a [[Engineering:Sinpo-class submarine|Sinpo-C]]-class [[Engineering:Submarine|submarine]] operated by the Korean People's Navy. It is a modification of the {{sclass2|Romeo|submarine|1}}, of which 20 are under operation by North Korea.<ref name=":0" /> The "nuclear" in its designation refers to its projected armament; it is diesel-, not [[Engineering:Nuclear submarine|nuclear-powered]].

The submarine was launched on 6 September 2023 as ''Hero Kim Kun Ok'' and christened and commissioned on the next day with both events attended by [[Biography:Kim Jong-un|Kim Jong-un]] as chief guest, and she was promoted by North Korean media as the "first of its kind" designed for "core underwater offensive means".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Minji |first=Lee |date=2023-09-08 |title=(3rd LD) N. Korea unveils new 'tactical nuclear attack submarine' |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230908000653325 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Zwirko |first=Colin |date=2023-09-07 |title=North Korea launches new 'nuclear attack submarine': State media {{!}} NK News |url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/north-korea-debuts-new-submarine-capable-of-launching-nuclear-missiles/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=NK News - North Korea News}}</ref>

== Background ==
In August 2016, the existence of a modern class of submarine, designated the {{sclass2|Sinpo|submarine|4}} was determined after the launch of a KN-11 ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaGrone |first=Sam |date=23 October 2016 |title="North Korea Fires Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile" |url=https://news.usni.org/2016/08/23/north-korea-fires-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile-u-s-condemns-action |access-date=7 September 2023 |website=USNI News}}</ref>

Subsequently, in 2019, satellite imagery of a modified {{sclass2|Romeo|submarine|1}} of about 3,000 tons [[Engineering:Displacement (ship)|displacement]] was shown to be under construction at Sinpo South shipyard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N.Korea 'Building New Ballistic Missile Submarine' |url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/04/05/2019040501685.html |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=english.chosun.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |first1=Jack |last1=Liu |first2=Peter |last2=Makowsky |first3=Jenny |last3=Town |date=2019-04-12 |title=North Korea's Sinpo South Shipyard: Submarine Shipbuilding Continuing at Slow Pace - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea |url=https://www.38north.org/2019/04/sinpo041219/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=38 North}}</ref> Analysis by 38 North indicates that it has been in the construction warehouse as early as 2014.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Diepen |first=Vann H. Van |date=2023-09-11 |title=The Sleeper Has Awakened: Six Key Takeaways From the Rollout of North Korea's "Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine" - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea |url=https://www.38north.org/2023/09/the-sleeper-has-awakened-six-key-takeaways-from-the-roll-out-of-north-koreas-tactical-nuclear-attack-submarine/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=38 North |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Kim Jong Un Submarine Inspection.webp|thumb|Kim Jong Un Inspecting the submarine in 2019.]]
Kim Jong-un visited the site of construction, deemed the Pongdae submarine factory in 2019, and declared that a "new era" for the Korean People's Navy was arriving within a span of "five to ten years".<ref name=":0" /> Prior to the formal ceremony, the NIS noted that Russia proposed a joint naval exercise with North Korea and China in late July 2023.<ref name=":1" />

Despite its designation by North Korea as a "Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine", it is neither an [[Engineering:Attack submarine|attack submarine]], designed for hunting hostile submarines, nor is it nuclear-powered. The design may even lack torpedo tubes altogether. Instead its designation refers to its projected armament, of perhaps up to 10 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.<ref name="HISuttonSep23">{{cite news |last1=Sutton |first1=H. I. |title=North Korea's New Submarine Carries 10 Nuclear Missiles |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/09/north-koreas-new-submarine-carries-10-nuclear-missiles/ |work=Naval News |date=7 September 2023}}</ref>

With 20 Romeo-class subs in the inventories of the North Korean navy, Kim described as a "rapid improvement of our national defense capabilities with nuclear deterrence as the core", with a long-term plan of modifying the rest of the Romeo subs.<ref name=":3" />

== Launching ==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Kim Kun Ok Nuclear attack submarine.jpeg|alt=Kim Jong Un and other generals taking part in the ceremony launching the submarine.|thumb|Kim Jong Un and other generals taking part in the ceremony launching the submarine]] -->
The naming and [[Engineering:Ceremonial ship launching|launching]] ceremony of the submarine occurred at Sinpo shipyard on 6 September 2023, subsequently announced two days later on North Korean state media. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event. It was to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of North Korea on 9 September 1948.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-07 |title=North Korea says it has deployed a new nuclear attack submarine to counter US naval power |url=https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-submarine-6d9f730b49f84ff5279ba6af5d241142 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=AP News}}</ref>
[[File:Hero Kim Kun Ok Launching Ceremony.jpg|thumb|Rear view of the hero Kim kun Ok, a modified [[Engineering:Romeo-class submarine|Romeo-Class Submarine.]]]]
The ship was named after a naval leader Kim Kun Ok, who claimed to have sunk the American cruiser {{USS|Baltimore|CA-68|6}} in the Battle of Chumonchin Chan, despite the fact that ''Baltimore'' was never deployed to the Korean War and was in fact, decommissioned and mothballed in 1947.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Min Joo |date=September 7, 2023 |title=North Korea says it has produced a 'tactical nuclear attack submarine' |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/07/north-korea-says-it-has-produced-tactical-nuclear-attack-submarine/ |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baltimore V (CA-68) |url=http://public2.nhhcaws.local/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/baltimore-v.html |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=public2.nhhcaws.local}}</ref>

== Armament ==
Israeli missile researcher, Tal Inbar, said to ''NK News'' that the newly upgraded submarine can carry a combination of [[Engineering:Submarine-launched ballistic missile|submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s (SLBMs) and [[Engineering:Cruise missile|cruise missile]]s with nuclear warheads. James Martin Center associate Dave Schmerler observed from the state media photos that the submarine has four large and six small missile hatches, the large ones capable of launching medium SLBMs like the Pukguksong-3<ref name=":0" /> capable of striking short-ranged targets in Japan and South Korea.<ref name="ReutersLaunch">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Josh |last2=Choi |first2=Soo-Hyang |title=North Korea unveils first tactical, nuclear-armed submarine |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-launches-new-tactical-nuclear-attack-submarine-kcna-2023-09-07 |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=Reuters |date=8 September 2023}}</ref> It is unclear whether North Korea has developed the warheads required for such weapons.<ref name="ReutersLaunch" /> North Korea's possession and testing of such weapons is a violation of nine United Nations Security Council resolutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=UN Security Council Resolutions on North Korea {{!}} Arms Control Association |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/UN-Security-Council-Resolutions-on-North-Korea |website=www.armscontrol.org |access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref>

It is also presumed that the sub is capable of launching an unmanned underwater vehicle designated the "Haeil", unveiled in March 2023.<ref name=":1" />

Future analysis of the sub upon public announcement indicates that that the length of the sub has been increased by {{convert|10|m|ftin|sp=us}} in length ({{cvt|86|m|ftin|disp=comma}} total) compared to the original length and configuration of the original Romeo sub, at the offset of a reduced bow, removal of the forward torpedo tubes, and a bulky sail that increases drag.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=H I Sutton - Covert Shores |url=http://www.hisutton.com/North-Korea-Submarine-Hero-Kim-Gun-ok.html |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=www.hisutton.com}}</ref>

== Operational history ==

North Korean State Media stated the submarine was intended to operate in the Sea of Japan.<ref>{{cite news |title=N Korea heralds 'new chapter' with 'tactical nuclear attack' submarine |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/8/north-korea-launches-new-tactical-nuclear-attack-submarine?traffic_source=KeepReading |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>

== Responses ==
In an interview by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, one official raised question about the sub's capabilities, and that additional monitoring in coordination with the United States will continue in order to respond to provocations.{{clarify|date=September 2023}}<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

South Korean commentators stated that the sub "does not look to be operational", that Pyongyang were "exaggerating the submarine’s capabilities" which "could not be operated normally", and that the project was "squandering [North Korea's] scarce resources into its futile weapons development while disregarding living difficulties of its people".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|agency=Agence France-Presse |title=North Korea launches new 'tactical nuclear attack submarine' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/08/north-korea-launches-new-tactical-nuclear-attack-submarine |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2023}}</ref>

The age of the Romeo-class design, first produced by the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] in 1957, raised questions as to the submarine's effectiveness if it were ever employed. Former US Government expert Vann Van Diepen described it as "noisy, slow, and having limited range." Joseph Dempsey, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described it as having "fundamental limitations and vulnerabilities."<ref>{{cite news |title=North Korea: Kim Jong Un reveals 'nuclear attack submarine' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66747891 |work=BBC News |date=8 September 2023}}</ref>

== References ==
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==External links==
* [https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/09/north-koreas-new-submarine-carries-10-nuclear-missiles/ North Korea’s New Submarine Carries 10 Nuclear Missiles] H I Sutton, Naval News

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero Kim Kun Ok}}
[[Category:Ballistic missile submarines]]

{{Sourceattribution|North Korean submarine Hero Kim Kun Ok}}