Seoul, April 30 (ANI): North Korea has conducted its first weapons tests on its newly launched destroyer, with Kim Jong-un overseeing the process and stressing the urgency of enhancing the navy’s nuclear capabilities to strengthen the nation’s maritime forces, according to Yonhap News Agency citing state media.
The tests took place on Monday and Tuesday under Kim’s supervision and involved the “combat application” of armaments installed on the newly commissioned 5,000-ton warship, named Choe Hyon. The destroyer, a multipurpose vessel, was officially launched last Friday and is equipped with an array of offensive weapons, including supersonic strategic cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and other advanced strike systems.
The tests included a test-firing of supersonic cruise missiles, strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and 127-millimetre ship-based automatic guns on Monday. On Tuesday, further tests were conducted involving the ship’s ship-to-ship tactical guided weapons, automatic guns, smoke guns, and electronic jamming guns.
Kim emphasized the importance of establishing a proactive and offensive defensive system, stating, “It is important to establish a proactive and offensive defensive system on the premise of powerful attack capability. The time has come to make a responsible option for accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy to defend the state and maritime sovereignty from the existing and future threat,” as quoted by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
During the ship’s launching event, Kim called for the construction of more destroyers of the Choe Hyon class, along with larger cruisers and support vessels, with plans to build them next year. He also reiterated North Korea’s ambition to develop nuclear-powered submarines. In March, North Korea unveiled what appeared to be a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, with Kim warning that his country’s maritime defense capability would be “fully projected” in any necessary waters without limitation.
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