North Korea has unveiled a new “attack” nuclear submarine, dubbed the ‘Hero Kim Kun Okay’ in a ceremony presided over by the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

“A new and powerful force has arisen to demonstrate the rapid development of naval force throughout the world (…) the heroic workers, scientists and technicians of the munitions industry (…) have built a tactical attack submarine nuclear power,” reads a statement from the North Korean news agency KCNA published this Friday.

Kim has assured in a speech that the submarine will have an “essential offensive combat mission” and that it is a first unit that will lead the country to be “an advanced maritime power.”

“There is no place to back down in pushing for the expansion of the shipbuilding industry, as it is the top priority task that must be accomplished without fail,” the North Korean leader said.

In this sense, he has insisted that it is essential to provide all units of the country’s Navy with nuclear weapons.

This announcement by the North Korean authorities represents another step in the escalation of tensions both at the rhetorical and military levels on the Korean peninsula, both due to the North Korean ballistic tests and the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.