Kim Jong Un Inspects Navigation Test of Naval Destroyer

(MENAFN) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a navigation test aboard a naval destroyer, issuing a bold call to strengthen the navy's combat capabilities and nuclear deterrent, state media reported Saturday.

Kim, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, boarded the Kang Kon destroyer on Thursday to evaluate its maneuvering and operational readiness, according to a news agency.

Kim declared that building a powerful navy capable of reliably shouldering part of the nuclear war deterrent and striking the enemy "under the water or on the water" is the most critical core task within the ruling party's five-year national defense development policy.

He expressed full confidence that the navy's modernization targets under the five-year plan — including the development of "underwater secret weapons" and the construction of 10,000-ton destroyers — would be "surely carried out."

The North Korean leader ordered both the Choe Hyon and Kang Kon destroyers to be commissioned "as soon as possible."

The 5,000-ton Kang Kon vessel had a troubled debut, tipping over and sustaining significant damage during its initial launch attempt in May last year — an accident Kim condemned as "absolute carelessness" and "irresponsibility." The warship was subsequently transferred from Chongjin to the Rajin shipyard, which is equipped with a dry dock, for repairs, before being officially relaunched in June 2025.

Pyongyang also launched the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer — named after a late anti-Japanese fighter — in April last year.

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