December 18, 2019
The North Korean Submarine Fleet: A Rusting Bunch of Steel or Threat?
Just because they're old doesn't mean they can be discounted.
by Kyle Mizokami
Key Point: North Korea's submarines, although horribly outdated, could pose a significant nusance in any future war.
North Korea should by all rights be a naval power. A country sitting on a peninsula, Korea has a long naval tradition, despite being a “shrimp†between the two “whales†of China and Japan. However, the partitioning of Korea into two countries in 1945 and the stated goal of unification —by force if necessary—lent the country to building up a large army, and reserving the navy for interdiction and special operations roles. Now, in the twenty-first century, the country’s navy is set to be the sea arm of a substantial nuclear deterrent.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/north-korean-submarine-fleet-rusting-bunch-steel-or-threat-105906
