North Korea’s Kim vows to build ‘most advanced’ warships

In a tour of a shipyard, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his intention to equip North Korea's navy with the most advanced and powerful warships. The WION report said Kim visited the Nampho Shipyard on Monday, where his nation is constructing a new warship. North Korea is rapidly expanding its navy, commissioning 5,000-tonne destroyers and testing ship-launched missiles, according to KCNA.

The country claims the expansion is necessary to counter threats from the United States and South Korea, as it develops weapons to extend its military reach beyond coastal waters. Kim stated that recent geopolitical developments and hostile actions by adversaries underscored the need for the most advanced and powerful warships. He highlighted the significant military importance of this concentration of combat power, emphasizing the vessel's unprecedented operational capabilities.

The construction of this warship features a combat system with capabilities unmatched by any other country worldwide. Kim expressed satisfaction after inspecting the vessel, noting its superiority over last year's destroyer. The advanced features of the ship may indicate plans to equip it with strategic cruise missiles, tactical nuclear weapons, or other ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface missiles.

This comes after North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles and cluster bomb warheads in recent weeks. Kim's sister, in a separate statement, warned the United States that North Korea would respond more forcefully to Washington's "invariable hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.