You heard it here first!

Yesterday, North Korea announced the launch of its first submarine
capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads.
It is a diesel submarine, and the missiles are described as tactical.
A provided image of the submarine makes it appear that it carries
four missiles of one type, and six of another.
The name of the submarine is "Hero Kim Kun Ok".

An Internet search turned up little additional information about
Kim Kun-Ok; however, I was able to learn that he was a naval
commander in the first generation of North Korea's navy, and that
he died in the line of duty - and that the same is true of Chae Jong-Bo,
who was named along with Kim Kun-Ok by Kim Jong-Un in a speech
given at an inspection visit of a naval base.

So if North Korea commissions a second ship of this type, it may
well be named the Hero Chae Jong Bo.

John Savard

On Fri, 08 Sep 2023 05:31:23 -0700, Quadibloc wrote:

> You heard it here first!
>
> Yesterday, North Korea announced the launch of its first submarine
> capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads.
> It is a diesel submarine, and the missiles are described as tactical.
> A provided image of the submarine makes it appear that it carries four
> missiles of one type, and six of another.
> The name of the submarine is "Hero Kim Kun Ok".
>
> An Internet search turned up little additional information about Kim
> Kun-Ok; however, I was able to learn that he was a naval commander in
> the first generation of North Korea's navy, and that he died in the line
> of duty - and that the same is true of Chae Jong-Bo,
> who was named along with Kim Kun-Ok by Kim Jong-Un in a speech given at
> an inspection visit of a naval base.
>
> So if North Korea commissions a second ship of this type, it may well be
> named the Hero Chae Jong Bo.
>
> John Savard

Interesting that the Ars Technica article you cited on Aug. 28
about North Korean science fiction was illustrated by a reproduction
of a picture from a story called "Inside the Submarine."

On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 2:05:24 AM UTC-6, Charles Packer wrote:

> Interesting that the Ars Technica article you cited on Aug. 28
> about North Korean science fiction was illustrated by a reproduction
> of a picture from a story called "Inside the Submarine."

It is a bit of a coincidence, yes.

It should be noted, though, that the pictures in that article were not made to
accompany the science-fiction stories discussed in the article at the time of
their original publication; they were by a _contemporary_ North Korean artist
Kim Kwang Nam, and part of an exhibition in Britain that a British artist, in
collaboration with him, helped to organize.

John Savard

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 6:32:28 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:

> The name of the submarine is "Hero Kim Kun Ok".

I don't know anything about the exploits of Chae Jong-Bo, and I still
don't know where Kim Kun-Ok lost his life in the service of his country...

but I did find out about _one_ of his exploits.

On July 2, 1950 the Battle olf Chumonchin Chan was fought. The
USS Juneau, HMS Black Swan, and HMS Jamaica encountered four
North Korean boats which had just finished escorting ten ammunition
ships. They sank three of them before they could fire their torpedoes,
and the fourth fled. The USS Juneau later found the ammunition ships
and destroyed them in the same month.

According to an exhibit in the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War
Museum in Pyongyang. motor torpedo boats under the command of
Kim Kun-Ok sank the USS Baltimore (CA-68), in connection with this
engagement.

However, according to Wikipedia, the USS Baltimore was in mothballs
the whole year of 1950, and when returned to active service, it was in
the Atlantic until after the Korean War ended.

John Savard