The full text of the speech is as follows:

Workers, scientists and technicians of the Pongdae Submarine Factory,

Major commanding officers of our heroic Navy, and commanders and sailors of the submarines,

Dear comrades,

Today is a day of great significance for our naval forces.

The historic moment has come when the first tactical nuclear attack submarine we have built wets its name and body in the blue water of our sea.

No. 841 Hero Kim Kun Ok, which is to be launched today, is the standard type of tactical nuclear submarine, after which we intend to convert the existing medium-sized submarines of our Navy into an attack type, as I mentioned on the last Navy Day.

The means of nuclear attack submarine, which had been regarded as a symbol of aggression against our Republic over the past decades, has now become symbolic of our overwhelming might that can strike terror in the hearts of the shameless enemy, and the fact that it is a new attack submarine of our own style, which the world has never known, is a great auspicious event for all our people.

Our intention to turn all the other existing medium-sized submarines into attack ones like this one, which can carry tactical nukes to play a significant role in modern warfare, in addition to our development-oriented, prospective plan for building nuclear submarines, is a “low-cost, hi-tech strategy” as part of the line of strengthening the naval forces adopted at the Eighth Congress of our Party.

We intend to improve and maximize the weapons systems and underwater operation capabilities of the existing submarines like this one, so that they could take a great share in the long-term building up of the national naval forces.

This will be a revolutionary step for ensuring maximum efficiency in the light of the defence and economic strategy and a revolutionary strategy for the development of the naval forces.

Designed fully to meet the demands of the strategy of our Navy, the strategy of national defence and military strategy of war plan, this submarine constitutes a menacing means as it is capable of carrying a large number of means for delivering nukes of various powers and of launching a preemptive or retaliatory strike at the hostile states in any waters.

This new entity, which will fulfil its militant mission as a core underwater means of strike of our naval forces, was presented by the revolutionary workers of the Pongdae shipyard to their motherland on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its founding.

This is clearly the first “child” of the great cause of building an advanced marine power, the first of its kind, which the Workers’ Party of Korea and its revolutionary industrial workers have given birth to with their noble ideals and matchless creative struggle.

It is really exciting to imagine that such submarines, shoulder to shoulder with new-type submarines, will stand in different parts of our territorial waters, reliably defending our beautiful and rich seas, and that our elite underwater nuclear fleets will keep off the aggressive fleets of the enemy.

Some time ago we signalled the second revolution in strengthening the naval forces, and we can say that today is the day when our naval forces have been reborn with a new image and greeted a period of their renewed development.

In this way, we proved with a clear entity that our declaration, made greeting August 28, that we would usher in a new heyday of the naval forces of the Korean People’s Army was not empty words.

This success, which you have achieved with your ardent patriotism and loyalty, is a great event that promises not only the rapid expansion of the power of our people’s Navy but also a rapid improvement of our national defence capabilities with the nuclear deterrence as the core; it is also a great demonstration of our tremendous national strength that has been consolidated as firm as ever in the face of trials.

Availing myself of this significant opportunity, I, on behalf of the Party and the Government as well as all the people across the country, would like to extend warm thanks and congratulations to all the comrades in the munitions industry sector, including the revolutionary workers of the Pongdae shipyard and all the officials concerned, who have opened the prelude to a new heyday of strengthening the naval forces and added glory to the 75-year history of our great state by successfully attaining another main goal of defence development set forth by the Eighth Congress of our Party.

Comrades,

This eye-opening success is of great significance as it has been achieved just at a time of crucial importance with regard to the future destiny of our naval forces and the safeguarding of our state’s right to maritime defence.

As I emphasized in my congratulatory speech during my visit to the Navy Command some time ago, developing our naval forces rapidly and successfully is our top priority task for national defence, which brooks no further delay, in view of the geopolitical peculiarities of our country sea-girt on three sides, the world trend in rapid development of warships, and the enemy’s aggressive schemes and the characters of their military actions in recent years.

Our Navy is now in the most important and crucial stage of its development.

In the past we, in developing the submarine industry, focused on building many small and fast submarines, true to our Navy’s mission which is restricted to defending our territorial waters in any case, as we believed we could use them to defeat the enemy at a stroke once they invaded us.

But the times have changed beyond recognition, and the weaponry and operational aspects of the Navy and our will have changed as well.

I confirm that the mission of absolute importance, which no other services will be able to accomplish, will be fulfilled only when we, in five or ten years, usher in an era when our Navy changes.

In order to take the initiative in three-dimensional naval battles and truly exercise the right to self-defence on the sea, the overwhelming ideological and spiritual superiority of our Navy should be accompanied and supported by the growth of its military and technical hardware. In this regard, the most important thing is to go nuclear.

This is a time when how quickly our Navy is equipped with nuclear weapons, more specifically, whether we launch powerful nuclear submarines sooner or later, will have a critical bearing on our state’s destiny, that is, whether our state’s right to self-defence on the sea is exercised properly or not and whether its territorial integrity and peace is maintained or not.

Taking this into consideration, the Party Central Committee decided to usher in a great heyday of strengthening the naval forces by effecting a revolution in the submarine-building sector first, and, as the first option for its implementation, studied a way to turn the existing medium-sized submarines into tactical nuclear attack submarines of our own style by replacing their weapons systems.

In a submarine, power system, underwater cruising speed and level of navigation equipment are very important these are called operational capabilities in general but it is my view that what type of weapons it is equipped with is most important and that when equipped with nuclear weapons, it is precisely a nuclear submarine.

It is now four years since I came here and gave the task of introducing advanced power systems in the existing medium-sized submarines and improving their overall underwater operation capabilities as well as the new-type submarines planned to be built, especially nuclear-powered submarines, and commissioning them to the combat ranks. And two years have passed since the Party Congress approved the plan.

The workers at Pongdae, who shared bitters and sweets, joy and sorrow with me on the arduous long journey of building the nuclear forces over the past ten years or so, have lived up to the expectations of the Party Central Committee with credit this time, too, by presenting the best results in the given period.

Tremendous, indeed, are the feats you have performed by defending our Party’s military strategic idea and plan in practice in absolute support of the crucial decision the Party Central Committee made at the crucial point, which was decisive of the future of the naval forces and the security of the country.

As we have the dependable revolutionary working class like you who devote themselves to any struggle, if the Party requests them to do so and indicates the orientation, a special event has been brought about in which our naval weapons and equipment have made a leap forward by decades, and the glory of invincibility the heroic Korean People’s Army has enjoyed for over 70 years can be steadily continued.

You are true patriots who have made it possible to immortalize, with the priceless glory of victory, the fighting spirit of the sailors of the Republic who are determined to shed their blood in the boundless seas in defence of their country. Your contribution will remain conspicuous in a page of the Navy’s proud records of victory.

As the Navy of the Republic has come to possess comprehensive capacity of operating various means of strike and even tactical and strategic nuclear weapons, its militant course filled with unexcelled heroism, bravery, fighting spirit and courage can continue for ever as a proud history of invincibility.

Today’s launching ceremony will be as burdensome to our opponents as is our building a new-type nuclear-powered submarine.

Up until now, whenever we test-fired SLBM, the enemy have tried to shake off their security uneasiness by speaking disparagingly of the capabilities of our submarines in every possible way and made desperate efforts to prevent the nuclear weaponization of our Navy while stigmatizing it as illegal. This was aimed at maintaining at any cost their military and technical superiority on the sea, which is the most acute and decisive battle site in their confrontation with us.

But now, as they face the reality which they have desired least and feared most, how displeased they must be!

We are filled with the will to continue to show them the modern quality of our underwater and surface fighting capability in the future, too, and will continue to push ahead with the nuclear weaponization of our Navy.

Comrades,

As we are greeting this thrilling and proud event, I find myself sunk deep in an unforgettable memory of the ennobling spirit and lofty devotion that have been dedicated for today.

How much painstaking efforts, blood and sweat we have devoted to the victory of today, and how many indescribable trials we have overcome to reach this glorious launching ceremony

On the unforgettable journey for building our style of nuclear forces I traversed with you, there were numerous nights of exploration and study, and many moments of failures that we had to endure, biting our lips, and moments of successes that were all the more precious to us.

To see the record book of August 24 Hero Ship, which has been written together with the workers of the Pongdae Submarine Factory, we can read the blood-stained patriotic dedication and unsparing efforts that permeate every weapons system mounted on this submarine.

Our dependable workers in the munitions industry and countless persons in the field of defence science have followed unyieldingly the patriotic road for the country and the people without even a moment’s vacillation or discouragement. The successes they have thus achieved are now integrated in the new-type attack submarine that is waiting for the moment of its launching by our side.

Thanks to the enormous efforts of martyrs who devoted their heart and soul to performing the sacred responsibility they assumed before the revolution and to the devoted support of everyone who has made sincere efforts for the security of the state and the happiness of the people, the first underwater nuclear attack ship of heroic Korea has now made its appearance in front of us, and is now about to enter the sacred territorial waters of our country.

We must remember for ever such unassuming patriots who have devoted their all to bring about today’s victory. And their struggle and feats must be clearly etched in the history of our Party and Republic.

Heroic workers in the munitions industry and officers and men of the Navy,

A new historic time is coming before our naval forces.

The prospect of one axis of the three major axes ground, naval and air forces that defend the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will be determined by our future practical measures.

In order to provide a substantial guarantee for a new heyday of strengthening the naval forces, the Party Central Committee has decided to make a further leap forward in our warship-building industry.

We have nowhere to retreat in rejuvenating the warship-building industry, and we have to carry it out without fail. And this is a task of paramount importance that has to be implemented to the end, no matter how difficult it may be.

By drawing on the invaluable experience and technology gained in the building of submarine No. 841, we must rapidly promote the work of converting all medium-sized submarines into attack ones, and thus nuclearize the existing submarines at one go in the true sense of the word.

At the same time, we should give greater impetus to the building of nuclear-powered submarine so as to develop our Navy into a service of the world’s marine power, which is capable of reliably defending the peace and security in the region and the rest of the world as well as the safety of our country and our people.

And we should build various kinds of modern warships needed for coastal defence and maritime patrol duty and offensive operations on a planned basis and commission them into the Navy one after another.

The warship-building industry sector should take full responsibility for this and carry it out perfectly, so as to ensure that our naval forces will greet the days of change as soon as possible and assuredly transform themselves.

To this end, full nationwide support should be provided and guaranteed; the key here is, first of all, to accelerate the establishment of a modern engine industry and thus decisively solve the problem of warship engines.

We should direct an all-out effort to actively developing and producing new-type warship engines of the advanced era, which will be capable of improving the mobility and maneuverability of all naval vessels.

We should actively push ahead with renovation of shipyards and expansion of their production capacities. By doing so, we should attain ahead of schedule the targets of putting the warship-building industry on a Juche-oriented, modern and scientific basis, and launch a dynamic campaign to raise the proportion of home-made steel plates and other warship-building materials and equipment by staking our fate on it.

The warship-building industry is an ensemble of national economic strength and a collection of cutting-edge technologies. Today it is an expression of genuine patriotism to make a contribution, however small, to the establishment of the warship-building industry in the new century.

When all sectors and units across the country turn out powerfully to help and back the undertaking to strengthen the warship-building industry and the Navy and encourage the movement of donating warships, a new revolution which is urgently needed by the times will truly take place.

The heroic workers of the Pongdae shipyard, who have defended the Party, the revolution, the country and the people by creating brilliant traditions through the practice of revolutionary struggle for half a century, should naturally play the vanguard role in achieving fresh development of the warship-building industry.

The officials and workers of the factory should redouble their efforts and wage a vigorous struggle to substantially attain the goals set by the Party Central Committee one by one. In this way they can add eternal brilliance to their honourable history and traditions.

Submariners should be well versed in the submarines to be newly commissioned and perfect their constant readiness for action so as to defend the maritime sovereignty, security and national interests of the Republic underwater.

All the officers and men of the Navy should give full play to their soaring enthusiasm and spiritual strength, and open up with confidence the era of a fresh change and leap forward in all aspects of the efforts to enhance their combat efficiency, defend their country’s territorial waters and prepare for a revolutionary war.

Comrades,

The anchor of ambitious navigation of our naval forces and warship-building industry towards a great leap forward has been raised.

The Workers’ Party of Korea’s grand cause of building a marine power will be successfully accomplished thanks to the efforts of the large contingent of the heroic workers in the munitions industry and defence scientists, who are dynamically advancing along the course of victory, the course of glory, indicated by the Party Central Committee.

Congratulating once again on the launch of the tactical nuclear attack submarine No. 841 Hero Kim Kun Ok, I wish her safe voyage and feats.

Availing myself of this opportunity I would like to offer my greetings of congratulations to all the workers of the revolutionary industry and the officers and men of the Navy and their beloved families in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, our glorious motherland.

May glory and victory be with the warship-building industry of Juche Korea and the heroic people’s Navy, which would present a new appearance of leap forward in the history of the DPRK!