Kim Jong Un on Tuesday called for a major expansion of North Korea’s naval forces, directing the country to build two large warships each year for the next five years. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampho port, Kim said the navy would become “something incredible beyond imagination.”
The vessel successfully tested two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles in April, demonstrating its strike capabilities after 14 months of operational tests, state media reported.
Kim emphasized that the navy’s nuclearization is “advancing along its own course,” and revealed plans to deploy another 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon - damaged in a failed launch last year but later repaired - alongside larger 10,000-ton strategic warships. He also said new naval bases are under review, calling a modernized base “a desperate and essential task.”