North Korea says it has deployed a new nuclear attack submarine to counter U.S. naval power
NBCSep 05, 2023
The Facts
North Korea's (DPRK) rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, unanimously adopted a constitutional amendment on Wednesday to enshrine a policy that "develops highly nuclear weapons to ensure" its "rights to existence" and to "deter war."
In announcing the decision, leader Kim Jong Un, according to state media outlet KCNA, emphasized "the need to push ahead with the work for exponentially boosting the production of nuclear weapons and diversifying the nuclear strike means and deploying them in different services."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Make no mistake, the DPRK's nuclear arsenal is not just a toy set Kim Jong Un plays with for his amusement; he may very well intend to deploy it against the US, South Korea, Japan, or other Western allies. If Kim continues his reckless pursuit of posturing on the global stage, he should understand that the leaders of the free world will respond in kind.
Establishment-critical narrative
The West's zero-sum approach toward North Korea has been a failure for almost the entire 21st century. The US can no longer demand complete denuclearization while simultaneously conducting military drills in Kim Jong Un's backyard. As the Korean War never officially ended and the DPRK is still an enemy of the US, Kim will continue to feel threatened until Washington decides to offer something more substantive.
