North Korea restores damaged warship and plans to build more next year

Japan Times

21 hours ago

North Korea said it successfully refloated a 5,000-ton destroyer that suffered damage in a botched launch attempt last month that left it foundering in shallow water, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to build two more vessels of the same class next year as part of his efforts to boost the country's naval capabilities.
A second launch ceremony for the Choe Hyon-class destroyer Kang Kon took place at the northeastern port of Rajin on Thursday, state media Korean Central News Agency said, less than a month after reporting a "serious accident' during the first attempted launch of the ship in May.
"Despite the difficulties and obstacles, our massive shipbuilding plans aimed at building advanced naval power are being pushed forward at the fastest pace possible,' Kim said in a speech at the ceremony.
The warship will be delivered to the navy for operations by mid-2026, and the ruling party has approved a plan to build two more 5,000-ton class destroyers next year, Kim said.
"Soon enough the enemies will learn themselves how provocative and unpleasant it is to see enemy ships running through the periphery of their sovereign waters,' Kim said.
The North Korean leader slammed the approach of U.S. strategic assets into the region as raising the risk of a nuclear war and said his forces will take "overwhelming military action' against any aggressive move. The remarks were made just as the White House said President Donald Trump is open to communications with Kim. South Korea said it's closely communicating with the U.S. on its North Korea policy.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (right) and his daughter Ju Ae attend the launch ceremony for a warship at the Rajin shipyard on Thursday. |
KCNA / KNS / via AFP-Jiji
Analysts said the relatively fast restoration of the damaged warship signals North Korea's capability to pursue a quick naval build-up. The exact extent of the damage done to the ship in last month's accident was not disclosed. It's also unclear whether the destroyer has been fully repaired.
"Experts are generally skeptical about North Korea's naval capabilities, but time and again, including the country's recent floating of the capsized ship, the country has demonstrated that it can make impressive progress when it is prepared to devote priority, resources, and time,' the 38 North program at the Stimson Center said in a report.
The country's navy mainly consists of smaller vessels for coastal defense. The new destroyers were designed to extend the nation's firepower in the Yellow Sea to the west and in eastern waters in the direction of Japan. The new vessels can launch guided missiles and boast an air defense system that include the Russian Pantsir-M, "manifesting the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow,' according to an analysis by Beyond Parallel, which focuses on North Korea.
"While North Korea's two Choe Hyon-class destroyers may not yet match the sophistication of their South Korean or U.S. counterparts, the pace with which they were built suggests North Korean shipyards are gaining the expertise needed to produce more advanced warships in the near future,' the 38 North report said.