Launching Ceremony for New Multipurpose Destroyer Held at Nampo Shipyard on the 25th
North Korea has launched a new 5,000-ton-class destroyer as part of its efforts to strengthen its naval power.
On April 26, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, attended the launching ceremony for the new destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army. During the ceremony, Kim Jong Un expressed his ambition to build an "ocean-going operational fleet."
In his speech at the ceremony, Kim described the destroyer as a "breakthrough in the modernization of naval forces" and introduced it as the "first of a new generation of multipurpose attack destroyers." The vessel has been named the "Choe Hyon-class" after anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon. Kim stated that it will be handed over to the navy and deployed for operations early next year. Jo Chunryong, Secretary of the Central Committee, described the vessel in his commemorative speech as a "5,000-ton-class destroyer equipped with the most powerful armaments."
Kim Jong Un particularly emphasized that "the most reliable means to proactively manage the military threats on the Korean Peninsula, which are accompanied by nuclear threats, and to restrain and block any attempts by hostile overseas forces to increase military power on the peninsula in times of emergency, is ocean-going operational capability." He stressed, "Now, we will build an ocean-going operational fleet."
He went on to describe the Choe Hyon's launching as a "signal flare" for naval reinforcement, and mentioned that "the second signal flare will be the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine." Regarding the destroyer's equipment, he highlighted that "it is equipped with weapon systems that maximize air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-ballistic missile capabilities, as well as offensive means such as supersonic strategic cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles, thereby greatly enhancing its land-attack operational capabilities."
During the ceremony, Defense Minister No Kwangchol cut the launching rope. Kim Jong Un, accompanied by military officials including Defense Minister No Kwangchol and his daughter Ju Ae, boarded the destroyer, toured the interior, and took commemorative photos.
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