Seoul [South Korea], March 5 (ANI): Amid the recent escalation of tensions in West Asia into a full-scale conflict in Iran, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from a new naval destroyer ahead of its commissioning, the country’s state media reported, according to Seoul-based news agency Yonhap on Thursday.
Kim supervised the launch of sea-to-surface missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon at a shipyard in the port city of Nampo in western North Korea, Yonhap reported, citing the country’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim oversaw the launch of sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles from the destroyer on Wednesday and assessed the test as a “core” element of the new warship’s capabilities, describing it as a “new symbol of sea defense” for his country.
“All these successes constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century,” he said.
Yonhap noted that North Korea typically uses references to “strategic” weapons to indicate that they may have nuclear capabilities.
During his two-day visit to the shipyard on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kim inspected the Choe Hyon, the lead vessel in a new series of 5,000-ton “Choe Hyon-class” destroyers currently under construction in North Korea.
North Korea unveiled the Choe Hyon in April 2025, a 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer, as part of efforts to strengthen its naval power.
In May last year, a second Choe Hyon-class destroyer capsized during a launch ceremony at Chongjin Shipyard, an incident witnessed by the North Korean leader.
A report by Al Jazeera stated that the accident crushed parts of the hull and left the bow stranded on the shipway. At the time, Kim described the launch failure as a “criminal act,” blaming the incident on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” across multiple state institutions.
Following that incident, North Korea launched another 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon, in June last year.
Before the development of the Choe Hyon-class destroyer, North Korea’s most advanced warship was a 1,500-ton frigate, according to Seoul’s defense white paper.
According to KCNA, the third destroyer under construction at the Nampo shipyard is expected to be completed by the ruling Workers’ Party’s founding anniversary in October.
Meanwhile, Yonhap reported that under a new five-year plan to enhance defense power, Pyongyang has vowed to continue producing nuclear weapons and developing various strategic weapons.
The 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea was held from February 19 to February 25, after which Kim reportedly said he plans to expand the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Just days after the Congress, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran that led to the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, condemned the “reckless bandit-like behavior” of the United States and Israel as “illegal aggression” and a “despicable form of sovereignty violation.”
North Korea has in recent years signed defense pacts with both Russia and China. (ANI)
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