PYONGYANG 23 Jul (ANA) - Kim Jong Un has been pictured inspecting a newly built submarine - sparking fears that North Korea is continuing to develop its ballistic missile programme.

 

Photographs published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) purportedly showed Mr Kim inspecting the combat weapon systems of the new submarine, which is said to have been built under his "special attention".

 

It will be operational off the east coast of the country and is due to be deployed in the near future, according to KCNA.

 

"The operational capacity of a submarine is an important component in national defence of our country bounded on its east and west by sea," Mr Kim was quoted as saying.

 

The state news agency did not describe the kind of weapons systems the submarine contained, or where and when the inspection took place.

 

North Korea has a large submarine fleet but only one known experimental submarine capable of carrying a ballistic missile.

 

Analysts say that the apparent size of the new submarine shows it has been designed to eventually carry missiles.

 

Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the US-based Federation of American Scientists, said Mr Kim's inspection was an "ominous signal".

 

He added: "We can clearly see that it is a massive submarine - much larger than the existing one that's been well known since 2014.

 

"What I find significant about the political messaging here is that this is the first time since a February 2018 military parade that he has inspected a military system clearly designed to carry and deliver nuclear weapons.

 

"I take that as an ominous signal that we should be taking Kim Jong Un's end-of-year deadline for the implementation of a change in US policy with the utmost seriousness."

 

North Korea has made rapid progress in developing its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) programme.

 

In 2016, after a just few years of development, it successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, while pursuing an intercontinental ballistic missile programme (ICBM).(ANA)

FA/ANA/23 July 2019--------