North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected his new destroyer for two consecutive days before it was commissioned and watched a test of cruise missiles fired from the warship, vowing to accelerate his navy’s nuclear arming, state media said on Thursday.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim, during his visits to the western Nampo shipyard on Tuesday and Wednesday, also inspected the construction of a third destroyer in the same class as his 5,000-ton warship, the Choe Hyon, first unveiled in April 2025.
Kim has praised the development of Choe Hyon as a significant step forward toward his goal of expanding the operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military. State media say the ship is designed to handle several weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-naval weapons, as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. South Korean military officials and experts say Choe Hyon was likely built with Russian help amid deepening military ties, although some have raised doubts about whether it is ready for active service.
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North Korea unveiled a second destroyer of the same class in May last year, but it was damaged during a botched launch ceremony in the northeastern port of Chongjin, prompting a furious reaction from Kim, who called the failure “criminal.” North Korea has said the new destroyer, named Kang Kon, was relaunched in June after repairs, but outside experts have questioned whether the ship is fully operational.
After observing Choe Hyon’s sea trials on Tuesday, Kim said the ship met operational requirements and called it a symbol of the country’s growing naval capabilities. He called for building two warships a year for the next five years of the same class or superior to the Choe Hyon.
Kim returned Wednesday to observe a test launch of cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon. State media published photographs of him watching from shore as several projectiles rose from the ship in plumes of white smoke and described the weapons as “strategic,” a term used for nuclear-capable systems.
After years of focusing on ballistic missile development, Kim has turned more of his attention to naval capabilities, including the ongoing construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. KCNA said the third destroyer under construction at the Nampo shipyard is expected to be completed by the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in October.
Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at last month’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of being launched from water.
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Kim said Tuesday that his efforts to equip his navy with nuclear weapons were “making satisfactory progress.” He said that these supposed advances “would constitute a radical change in the defense of our maritime sovereignty, something we have not achieved in half a century.”
KCNA did not elaborate on what Kim meant. Some analysts suggest North Korea could be preparing to formally declare a maritime border that could encroach on waters controlled by rival South Korea.
As inter-Korean tensions worsen, Kim has repeatedly said he does not recognize the Northern Boundary Line, drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War. The poorly drawn western maritime border has been the scene of several deadly naval clashes in recent years.
At the party congress, Kim doubled down on his plans to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, which already includes several weapons systems that threaten the United States and its allies in Asia, while reaffirming his hardline stance toward South Korea.
However, he left the door open to dialogue with Donald Trump’s administration and reiterated Pyongyang’s demand that Washington abandon its insistence on denuclearization as a precondition for resuming long-stalled talks.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
