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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated on Monday that the country's newest destroyer would form part of a nuclear response system, which holds the capacity to deliver "annihilating retaliatory strikes". As reported by the North Korean news agency KCNA, while Kim highlighted the nation's military strength, he omitted any mention of whether the vessel would be armed with nuclear weapons.
The development comes as Pyongyang steps up its drive to upgrade its naval forces as part of a wider push to expand its nuclear-capable military assets. During the commissioning event held in the eastern port city of Wonsan on Sunday, Kim noted that stationing the new warship in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula delivered an unambiguous message to North Korea's opponents. "The time has come for us to exercise our sovereignty at sea and underwater," the North Korean supreme leader asserted, according to KCNA. The 5,000-ton-class destroyer, named the "Kang Kon", marks the second vessel of its type to join the fleet, coming on the heels of the commissioning of the "Choe Hyon" destroyer on the country's western coast roughly three months prior, Kim added. As per KCNA, the North Korean leader remarked that naval nuclear armaments were progressing, and that the nation would persist in widening what he termed its most powerful strategic assets across vital maritime zones to safeguard its territorial waters and regional stability. He insisted that the Kang Kon would constitute a component of North Korea's state nuclear response system. Although state media refrained from detailing the specific weaponry to be carried by the Kang Kon, it indicated that the armament layout would mirror that of the Choe Hyon. Earlier KCNA coverage indicated that Choe Hyon-class destroyers can accommodate a variety of armaments, featuring missiles assessed by analysts to possess nuclear payload delivery capabilities. At the same time, Kim asserted that he would unveil another phase of North Korea's naval expansion within an eight-month timeframe, KCNA stated, without elaborating further. Kim additionally pointed out that work on establishing naval bases along the eastern coastline was progressing and that the country would establish novel naval units alongside the construction of various classes of warships. (ANI)
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