Cigarette in hand, and with the toothiest of grins, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un posed for photographs at a shipyard next to the makings of a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine.” The vessel appears to be a 6,

North Korea may soon seal its place in an exclusive global club after Kim Jong Un unveiled the country’s first nuclear-powered submarine under construction.

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, state media reported on Saturday. “Radically” boosting the country's navy was a key part of its defensive strategy.

Kim Jong Un was pictured on Saturday inspecting North Korea's first nuclear-powered submarine, which experts say poses a major risk to the United States and South Korea.

North Korea's nuclear-powered submarine, believed to be built with Russian technology, could pose major security concerns to neighbour South Korea and its ally, the US, due to its capabilities, experts say.