According to a new CNN report, recent commercial satellite images show that North Korea has been covertly preparing the launch of a submarine capable of firing missiles. The preparations have been taking place at a shipyard along the country’s central coast off the Sea of Japan.
Jeffrey Lewis of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute said that “North Korea has erected a structure in the secure boat basin to hide the new submarine,” which “suggests that the submarine has been launched or will be soon.” North Korean leader Kim Jung-un visited the shipyard in July of this year, allegedly to inspect progress on the construction of the submarine. Pyongyang has been planning to build a nuclear-armed submarine for years as a way of boosting its deterrence capabilities.
Read more: Satellite images suggest North Korea working to hide launch of missile submarine
