North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says new destroyer part of nuclear response system
North Korea has accelerated efforts to modernize its navy as Kim Jong Un pursues a broader expansion of the country's nuclear-capable forces.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has commissioned a new naval destroyer, the Kang Kon, which he described as part of the country's nuclear counteraction system. According to the Yonhap News and South China Morning Post, the 5,000-ton destroyer was commissioned in the eastern port city of Wonsan on Sunday, at a ceremony attended by Kim and his teenage daughter, Ju-ae.
The Kang Kon and another destroyer, the Choe Hyon, which was commissioned in June, are North Korea's most advanced warships, equipped with nuclear-capable missiles. Kim said the destroyers' commissioning would instill fear in enemies and allow North Korea to exercise its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified way.
The commissioning of the new destroyer comes as North Korea is pushing to modernize its naval assets and sharpen its combat readiness at sea with nuclear-capable vessels. The US, South Korea, and Japan have begun a trilateral military exercise, which Kim views as a security threat.
Brief written by urgent.news from Japan Times, South China Morning Post, Yonhap News, The Mainichi, Daily NK — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
