What did North Korea say it would do in response to the U.S.-led naval buildup?

Kim Jong-sik said North Korea would not limit its response to denunciations. He warned that it would deter threats through action and by displaying its strengthened military power.

Who delivered North Korea’s warning about the naval buildup, and where was it reported?

The warning came from Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee. The Korean Central News Agency carried his statement.

N. Korea warns of action against US-led naval buildup

Q: Why does North Korea say nuclear submarine programs in South Korea, Japan and Australia threaten regional security?

Kim said the programs were part of a U.S. strategy to secure maritime hegemony in the Asia-Pacific. He claimed the naval buildup undermined the region’s strategic balance and sparked a new arms race.

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Summary

North Korea warned on Thursday that it would counter what it called a U.S.-led naval buildup with unspecified action. Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee, said nuclear submarine programs in South Korea, Japan and Australia threatened regional peace and security. He said the North’s response would go beyond denunciations and involve action and displays of its strengthened military power.

Key Facts

Kim’s statement was carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim described the submarine programs as the detailed implementation of a new U.S. security strategy aimed at securing maritime hegemony.
He claimed the buildup was undermining the region’s strategic balance and sparking a new arms race.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 12, 2026 5:20 pm KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, 3rd from left, inspects a shipyard in the western coastal city of Nampho, Nov. 2. China Daily via Reuters-Yonhap

North Korea on Thursday denounced what it called a U.S.-led naval buildup and nuclear submarine programs, warning it would counter the growing naval threat with unspecified "action."

Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"Arms build-up of the U.S. and its vassal allies for seizing a maritime edge in the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a new dangerous factor seriously disturbing regional peace and security," Kim said.

He described nuclear submarine programs in South Korea, Japan and Australia as the "detailed implementation" of a new U.S. security strategy aimed at "securing the maritime hegemony."

"This has become a root cause of seriously undermining the strategic balance in the region and sparking off a new arms race," he claimed.

The enemies' naval buildup and the threat it poses to its security are "a very grave challenge," he said, and the North's response "will not be merely confined to denouncing it."

"We will deter all threats by action and flexing of its bolstered muscle," he warned.

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