DPRK Unveils 5,000-Tonne Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer in Record 400 Days

Last Friday at the Nampho shipyard, the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of a new multipurpose destroyer displacing 5,000 tonnes. State-run KCNA said this ‘Choe Hyon-class’ vessel, named after anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon, was built in just over 400 days using domestic technology and shipbuilding capacity.

Jo Chun Ryong, a Workers’ Party secretary, hailed the destroyer’s arsenal as ‘the most powerful weapons’ in the fleet, while Vice-Admiral Pak Kwang Sop called the launch a milestone in the ‘Kim Jong Un-style fleet building’. Kim Jong Un said the new ship will be handed over to the navy and enter service early next year.

Central to the vessel’s strategy is its pre-emptive strike capability, which the leader described as ‘the most convincing war deterrent’ with no limit to its scope. KCNA quoted Kim Jong Un warning that ‘the security environment of our country is very serious right now,’ pointing to regular deployments of US strategic assets like the B-1B bomber during joint drills with the Republic of Korea earlier this month.

This milestone underscores how the DPRK is advancing its naval reach and may reshape security dynamics in the region.

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DPRK unveils new 'Kim Jong Un style' 5,000-tonne warship

cgtn.com