ONN Senior Analyst Tianran Xu discussed North Korea’s recent naval shipbuilding campaigns with Frankfurter Rundschau, stating that the construction of large warships reflects Kim Jong Un’s desire to pursue modernity and match his adversaries’ capabilities.
However, Xu noted that their practical value in wartime remains limited—these ships would likely be early targets in a conflict and offer little strategic return on investment. He also described North Korea’s nuclear submarine efforts as “ambitious and costly,” though technically feasible.
