[앵커]
Following the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, the US announced that the world’s largest nuclear submarine had visited Japan as the prospect of additional nuclear tests by North Korea grew.
It is unusual for a covert move to announce the location of a life-threatening nuclear submarine, and analysis suggests it is a warning message to prevent North Korea from its 7th nuclear test.
This is Reporter Shin Joon-myeong.
[기자]
A black body that resembled a huge whale came out of the water.
It is the world’s largest Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Michigan with a length of 170.6m and a full displacement of 19,000 tons, the same as the Dokdo ship of the ROK Navy.
It can operate for three months without floating on water and can carry more than 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 km.
It also has functions to support special forces operations such as underwater infiltration.
The US Indo-Pacific Command released a photo of the USS Michigan floating on the surface of the water near Okinawa, Japan on the 10th.
“It is part of the deployment of the operational area of the US 7th Fleet and the intention is to complement the underwater warfare capabilities in the region,” he said.
It is highly unusual to reveal the location of a nuclear submarine which requires covert.
It is an analysis that the United States intends to send a strong warning message to North Korea, which does not prevent provocations such as the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and at the same time, break North Korea’s will to conduct a seventh nuclear test before 5 years since declaring the completion of nuclear power on the 29th.
[문근식 / 경기대 정치전문대학원 교수 : (핵 추진 잠수함의 위치를) 노골적으로 노출하면서 북한의 핵 무력 도발을 강력히 저지하겠다는 의도를 보여주고 있는 것이죠.]
The Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that he was watching the related trends of the North Korean military before the 29th, but there are no notable changes so far.
In the midst of this, North Korean Vice Minister Kim Yeo-jeong raises the level of criticism by pouring harsh words towards President Yoon Seok-yeol two days after threatening a very strong response to the United Nations, which discussed a launch ICBM issue.
This is Shin Joon-myung’s YTN.
YTN Junmyeong Shin (shinjm7529@ytn.co.kr)
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