N. Korea completes dock for 10,000-ton submarine: US radio

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 6, 2017, 17:50 Updated : January 6, 2017, 17:50

[Yonhap Photo]



North Korea has reportedly completed a new dock capable of producing a 10,000-ton submarine in its Sinpo shipyard, a crucial part of the country's submarine-launched ballistic missile program.

The new dock is 180 meters long and 25 meters wide, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported in a Korean-language article. RFA is a US government-financed nonprofit broadcasting agency.

An existing dock in Sinpo has expanded on an order from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2014 to build a large submarine, the broadcaster said, citing sources in the isolated country.

Experienced engineers and technicians have moved from another shipyard in the northeastern port of Chongjin to Sinpo, RFA said, adding two 3,000-ton submarines are under construction.

The submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) program has been a prime security concern in Seoul and Washington, though US experts believe Pyongyang is still years away from the operational deployment of a submarine carrying ballistic missiles for wartime missions.

In August last year, the North successfully tested an SLBM, saying it is now fully capable of launching a nuclear attack.
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