PYONGYANG, August 12. /TASS/. North Korea intends to develop the capabilities to strike back in the event of a threat to its security as South Korea implements its nuclear submarine program, First Deputy Foreign Minister Jang Kum-chol said.

"Having a unique force capable of neutralizing the existing and emerging potential threats and responding to the military intentions of hostile states affecting our country's strategic sovereignty and security with a retaliatory strike that eliminates the possibility of survival and reconstruction will be the most responsible choice to contain the war," he said in a statement.

The diplomat called South Korean nuclear submarine program "a serious challenge" to the security and maritime sovereignty of North Korea, and Pyongyang can't just sit by and watch. According to him, the current situation confirms the need to have comprehensive operational and combat capabilities that allow for "a proactive and preventive" response to changes in the security situation and protect the country's maritime sovereignty.

Jang Kum-chol said that the program has already moved from the planning stage to practical implementation. He mentioned a plan Seoul published in May, which says the submarine should be developed and adopted by the mid-2030s. According to him, South Korea is also negotiating with Washington on issues related to this program.

Jang Kum-chol pointed out that the ultimate goal of South Republic is to lift restrictions on the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment, gain the ability to produce nuclear materials and create the basis for a subsequent possession of weapons of mass destruction. He said that the appearance of nuclear submarines with Seoul could cause "a nuclear domino" effect in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jang Kum-chol also linked South Korea’s plans with the US policy in the region. According to him, Seoul's acquisition of nuclear submarines may become a preparatory stage for turning military cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea into "a second AUKUS."

"The South Korean program for the development of a nuclear submarine will further increase instability on the Korean peninsula," Jang Kum-chol said.