A REAL STRATEGIC RIVAL

The publication of a new development by the North Korean Navy has sent shivers down the spine of the West. How much could this affect Anglo-American expectations of strategic control of the Indo-Pacific?

By Sidney Hey 

It is characteristic of the Anglo-American elites and their European partners (sponsors of Zionism in Palestine) to belittle, underestimate and even laugh at peoples outside their cultural and ideological sphere. This aura of superiority and arrogance usually comes crashing down when they realise that there were no grounds for such beliefs. Today, North Korea is in the news for announcing the development of its first nuclear-powered submarine with a displacement capacity of 8,700 tonnes and an operational capacity that puts it on a par with American and Russian submarines of the same type.

The backward, voluntaristic and even antiquated Koreans have dealt another blow to Western supremacists by demonstrating the advantages of cultivating Eastern discipline and perseverance.

Certainly, defence officials and the Pentagon are kicking themselves, deeply concerned by the announcement. This is not a new model of diesel-powered submarine or a Korean adaptation of a European (German) submarine. It is a locally developed, advanced technology that Westerners did not expect to see for at least another 15 years. Surely the ‘agency’ through its extension in Seoul and NATO's electronic intelligence operating from Singapore have been aware of North Korean developments but without knowing the details of their progress. But those who are already up in arms are their AUKUS lackeys, who are the US naval vanguard in the Indo-Pacific and Japan Sea waters. If they already had problems monitoring the movements of conventional SINPO-class submarines with ballistic missile launch capabilities, now they will have to be careful not to cause any clumsy provocations.

It is necessary to remember that only those who take the strategic interests of their nations seriously and are aware of their situation will be able to survive the attempts of aggressive powers to impose their will. It is also true that in this new era with the development of AI, weapons are not enough to extort and punish a nation rebelling against the designs of the empire, but they will undoubtedly carry a lot of weight in critical situations to protect themselves of aggression such as that faced by Iraq in 1991-2003, Libya in 2010, or currently looming over Venezuela.

Pyongyang has never allowed itself to be intimidated by Atlanticist threats and has resisted the sanctions imposed unilaterally by the US, which, let us say once again, are illegal and lack any legal basis, demonstrating that there is still work to be done by international judicial bodies. Similarly, these sanctions are a veritable weapon of mass destruction for the people, with slow but bloody long-term effects, designed to wear down the tolerance of their inhabitants and bring their governments to collapse.

For decades, North Korea has tolerated a suffocating battery of sanctions that have impacted the quality of life of Koreans for generations.

Despite these circumstances, Kim Jong-un's government has maintained his father's policy based on constant technological and scientific development focused on defence, currently boosted by special assistance from the Russian Federation, with whom they have established mutual cooperation agreements that have been reinforced by the valuable help of the North Korean People's Army in the recovery and demining of large areas of the Kursk Oblast.

There is no doubt that Russian naval knowledge and technological contributions, with all that this entails, are involved in the development of this large submarine. To mention just one example, there is no doubt that the submarine will be equipped with Russian-designed nuclear propulsion, which is widely tested and performs very well. This feature tells us that North Korea will now have submarines that can operate and remain submerged for months, with the capacity to launch strategic missiles right under the enemy's nose. At the same time, it could represent a powerful strategic asset in limiting Western intentions to access the Arctic.

There is no doubt that at this moment, nervousness at the RAN headquarters in Russell, Canberra, has prompted them to quickly call their colleagues in London and Washington, who, surely to calm their anxiety, have told them, ‘Don't worry, we'll be there if anything happens.’

This is not good news for Tokyo and the administration of Takaichi Sanae either, who, with Washington DC's permission and surely to gauge reactions from Beijing, has recently been trying to provoke the Chinese over the Taiwan issue, claiming that her country could take part if China intervenes on the island. Although no similar announcements have been made, the Council of Ministers' approval of a record increase (9.5% compared to 2025) of €48.848 billion in the defence budget, which includes the construction of unmanned aircraft and missile systems, gives Beijing and Pyongyang reason to prepare.

However, the announcement of North Korea's new potential puts a new offensive-defensive advantage on the table for Pyongyang, which, in the face of aggression, with the possibility of responding in a crushing manner and from an undetectable location without having to depend on the international parody represented by malleable, useless and corrupt organisations such as the United Nations, not to mention the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is concerned about some (driven by a prejudice directed from Washington) and turns a blind eye to the most dangerous states that are part of the club of friends.