Kim Jong Un has commissioned North Korea’s new multipurpose destroyer, the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon, at a ceremony in Nampo harbor. The ship, which underwent a series of operational tests over the past 14 months, is armed with air-defense systems, anti-submarine weapons, and, most significantly, nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.
Kim said the navy’s nuclear armament is advancing on schedule and promised that its capabilities would now be “something amazing beyond all imagination.” He also set an ambitious production target, calling for two giant warships a year over the next five years, while announcing plans to build strategic destroyers weighing 10,000 tons.
The push comes after a setback in the same program. The second vessel in the series, Kang Kon, required major repairs after it partially capsized during its launch ceremony last year.
Analysts say North Korea’s rapid maritime leap has been made possible largely by Russian assistance, reflecting closer military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. For Kim, the goal is urgent: to turn the navy, long considered the weakest branch of his military, into a global deterrent force capable of a preemptive strike and of extending North Korea’s operational reach deep into the sea.
