Photos show North Korea may be building submarine capable of launching nuclear missile, report says

close

Video

North Korea reportedly developing warheads to penetrate Japan's ballistic missile defense shield

While President Trump has largely downplayed North Korea's recent short-range missile tests, Japan's defense minister has not; Lucas Tomlinson reports from the Pentagon.

New photos taken of a North Korean shipyard suggest the country could be building a submarine that could potentially be capable of launching a nuclear missile, a report early Tuesday said.

The photos show vessels and cranes that could be used to haul a missile out to sea for launch, according to experts at a Washington-based think tank, NBC News reported.

TRUMP IS RIGHT NOT TO PLAY 'BEIJING'S GAMES' AMID ESCALATING NK TENSIONS, CHINA EXPERT SAYS

The satellite photos seem to confirm North Korean state media reports from July about a newly built submarine.

“There is no conclusive evidence at the moment that this is a near-term certainty,” an expert said of a possible missile test.

Once a submarine is built, it would take at least a year before it’s ready, according to an expert.

“The construction and commissioning of a true SSB (ballistic missile submarine) capability would represent a significant advancement of the North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear threat and complicate defense planning in the region, given the difficulties of tracking and/or pre-emptively targeting such capabilities,” analysts said and would lower the chances of denuclearization.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In the last year, 15 cranes have been installed at the shipyard, NBC reported.