North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test firing of “strategic cruise missiles” from a newly built 5,000-tonne naval destroyer ahead of its official commissioning, according to state media.
North Korea’s state news agency Korean Central News Agency, reported that Kim supervised the launch of sea-to-surface cruise missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon during a visit to the Nampo Shipyard on Wednesday.
KCNA described the launch as a key demonstration of the warship’s combat capability. Kim called the vessel a “new symbol of sea defence” for the country.
“Our Navy's forces for attacking from under and above water will grow rapidly. The arming of the Navy with nuclear weapons is making satisfactory progress,” Kim said, according to KCNA.
He added that the developments mark a significant shift in the country’s maritime defence posture.
“All these successes constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century,” he said.
KCNA said Kim inspected the Choe Hyon, the lead ship in a new class of 5,000-tonne destroyers under construction in North Korea, during a two-day visit to the shipyard spanning Tuesday and Wednesday.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency noted that North Korea typically uses the term “strategic” to refer to weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The test follows a setback in the country’s naval modernisation programme. In May 2025, a second destroyer of the same class capsized during a failed side launch ceremony at the Chongjin Shipyard after a malfunction caused the stern of the vessel to slide prematurely into the water and crush parts of the hull.
The missile test also comes weeks after Kim addressed a rare congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in late February, where he pledged to improve living standards while continuing military development.