North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering a speech during a commissioning ceremony of the new-type multi-mission destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampo port in North Korea. [KCNA via AFP]
By AFP24 Jun 2026
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to equip his navy with nuclear weapons and build larger warships, in a move that underscores Pyongyang’s drive to expand its military capabilities despite heavy international sanctions.
State media said Kim made the announcement on Tuesday at the commissioning of the 5,000-tonne warship Choe Hyon in the western port city of Nampho, describing the nuclear arming of the fleet as a “strategic course” to keep the country’s forces ready for “multifaceted and efficient operation”.
North Korea says the Choe Hyon is fitted with some of its “most powerful weapons”, and Kim has already overseen a cruise missile test from the vessel. He also pledged to soon commission another large destroyer, the Kang Kon, and to begin launching 10,000-tonne-class “strategic warships” – a size that would symbolically narrow the gap with South Korea’s navy and bring the North closer to US and South Korean blue-water capabilities.
Pyongyang, which calls itself an “irreversible” nuclear state, frames the build-up as deterrence against Washington and Seoul. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, and Kim has accused the allies of driving the region “to the brink of a nuclear war”.
The newly commissioned Choe Hyon, a 5,000-tonne warship, is billed by Pyongyang as carrying some of the country’s “most powerful weapons”, including ship-launched cruise missiles that could be fitted with tactical nuclear warheads, in Nampho, North Korea, June 23, 2026 [Handout/KCNA via AFP].Kim Jong Un told a commissioning ceremony in Nampho that warships such as the Choe Hyon prove the nuclear armament of North Korea’s navy is progressing as planned, according to state media, June 23, 2026 [Handout/KCNA via AFP].Kim Jong Un attends the commissioning ceremony of the Choe Hyon, North Korea’s first 5,000-tonne destroyer, which state media said will be tasked with defending the country’s western coast, at Nampho port, June 23, 2026 [Handout/KCNA via AFP].Kim Jong Un salutes the destroyer Choe Hyon, which he has cast as a major step towards extending North Korea’s operational reach and pre-emptive strike capabilities, at Nampho port, June 23, 2026. KCNA says the warship is armed with anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons, as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles [Handout/KCNA via AFP].Kim Jong Un stands aboard the destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampho port, June 23, 2026. South Korean officials and experts say the warship was likely built with Russian help amid deepening military ties, but some analysts question whether it is ready for active service [Handout/KCNA via AFP].North Korea has put the Choe Hyon through a series of recent tests, including launches of what it describes as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from the destroyer. [KCNA via AFP]Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s navy is evolving from a coastal defence force into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic nuclear capabilities, and that its nuclear armament programme is proceeding as planned. [KCNA via AFP]Kim Jong Un is shifting his focus from ballistic missiles to naval power, pushing the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine and setting five-year goals that include intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of being launched from underwater. [KCNA via AFP]The destroyer Choe Hyon departs following its commissioning ceremony at Nampho port, June 23, 2026. After a March missile test aboard the vessel, Kim Jong Un said arming his navy with nuclear weapons would “constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century”. State media did not explain his remarks, but some analysts say North Korea may be preparing to declare a new maritime boundary that could cut into waters controlled by South Korea [Handout/KCNA via AFP].
