The Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited the destroyer on Thursday as it began operational tests and observed its navigation test. Photos released by North Korean state media showed Kim accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae.
Kim boarded the Kang Kon and inspected its combat duty areas, including the command center, while reviewing its sea trial plan and schedule for testing onboard weapons systems, according to KCNA.
He praised the crew’s ability to operate the vessel and expressed satisfaction with its maneuverability, saying its cruising and high-speed operation systems were “very good” and capable of meeting operational requirements.
“We can deter war and defend peace only when we possess strong and practical military power capable of responsibly exercising military sovereignty in any space on land, at sea and in the air,” Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA. “This is the unchanging position of our party and national defense policy.”
Kim said strengthening the navy as a force capable of supporting the country’s nuclear deterrent and striking enemies at sea and underwater was a core task under the party’s new five-year defense policy.
He also referred to plans under a five-year naval modernization program approved at the ninth party congress earlier this year, including the development and production of what North Korea called “underwater secret weapons” and the construction of a new 10,000-ton destroyer.
The reference marked an apparent expansion of North Korea’s naval ambitions. In March, Kim mentioned plans for an 8,000-ton destroyer while inspecting another new 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, but this time he pointed to a larger 10,000-ton-class vessel.
South Korea’s newest Aegis destroyer, the Jeongjo the Great-class, has a displacement of 8,200 tons.
Kim urged officials and technicians involved in naval weapons development to commission the Choe Hyon and Kang Kon into the navy “as soon as possible.”
The latest naval display came just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make a state visit to North Korea from June 8 to 9 for talks with Kim, in what would be Xi’s first trip to Pyongyang in nearly seven years. The timing suggests Pyongyang may be seeking to showcase its expanding military capabilities ahead of the summit with its key ally.
The Kang Kon was damaged during a launch ceremony in May last year after the vessel tilted and ran aground while being moved into the water. Kim, who witnessed the accident on site, denounced it as a “serious accident and a criminal act” and ordered punishment for those responsible.
North Korea salvaged the vessel and held another launch ceremony just 22 days after the accident, but questions had persisted over whether the ship was fully operational. The latest photos released by North Korean media showed the Kang Kon sailing at sea about a year after its relaunch.
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