North Korea Responds to Arrival of U.S. Nuclear Submarine at South Korean Navy Port

The USS Vermont returns to its base in New London, Connecticut.

Published October 18, 2024

North Korea announced it would undertake measures to bolster its war capacity on September 24 in response to the arrival of a U.S. nuclear submarine in South Korea. The announcement marks the first sign that North Korea has a functional spy satellite.  

Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, declared that the Aerospace Reconnaissance Agency discovered “an abnormal object at a wharf” near Busan naval base. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has yet to disclose any evidence of surveillance photos.  

According to a Republic of Korea Navy spokesman, the USS Vermont docked at the port so the crew could rest and resupply. However, Kim asserted that the submarine’s first appearance at Busan port since its commission in 2020 “can be hardly regarded as a sightseeing voyage.” 

The submarine, weighing in at 7,800 tons, is capable of firing 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles up to 1,000 miles, comfortably covering the distance of 329 miles between Busan and North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.  

In a press statement, Kim claimed that the United States' attempt to “take up nuclear strategic assets, boast of its strength, increase its threat to the rival and ‘enjoy’ its hegemonic privilege by dint of its malicious strength at any cost is getting ever more extreme.”

The U.S. has recently increased its presence in the Indo-Pacific theater. It deployed stealth bombers to the Royal Australian Air Force(RAAF) Amberley Base in Australia this August, and there are talks about U.S. presence in Micronesia. Rising U.S. involvement in this area signals to both North and South Korea the country’s commitment to the region.

To further this dedication, members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) met on September 21 in Delaware to confirm their devotion to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, a move Kim also criticized. “They are also typical products of the U.S. geopolitical sinister intention to politically and militarily encircle and stifle the DPRK and regional countries,” Kim said. 

North Korea has been building up its defense as well. Its military is believed to possess 50 nuclear warheads and enough fissile material to produce another 90. The country also has its own submarine fleet ranging from 64 to 86 strong. According to Kim, building up the country’s arsenal will continue to be a top priority. “The DPRK's nuclear war deterrent to cope with and contain various threats from outside is bound to be bolstered up both in quality and quantity continuously and limitlessly as the security of the state is constantly exposed to the U.S. nuclear threat and blackmail,” Kim said.  

The USS Vermont is part of the growing tension between North Korea and the United States and its allies. Kim has slammed the U.S. for launching an unarmed Minute-man III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in June while trash-filled balloons sent by its northern neighbor have forced South Korea to close two major airports. “This clearly reveals the frantic military and strategic attempt of the U.S. hell-bent on intentionally demonstrating the "superiority of strength" before the world,” Kim said. The Kim family’s focus on power reflects the increasingly hostile environment in the Peninsula as hopes of reunification become less probable in the near future.