Kim Jong Un has toured his country’s latest battleship – three months after he lambasted the botched launch of another vessel.
The North Korean leader inspected the 5,000-tonne destroyer Choe Hyon, first unveiled in April, at the western port of Nampo.
He was pictured on deck, in the captain’s office, sitting on a bunk bed and on the ship’s bridge. The backdrop of some of the images was blurred to obscure the equipment in the background.
North Korean state media said the Choe Hyon would enter service in 2026 and could accommodate an array of weapons systems – including nuclear-capable cruise and ballistic missiles.
Mr Kim is said to have been satisfied with the progress of work on the ship and ordered performance tests for October, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Monday’s trip appeared to go smoothly – a contrast to May when another destroyer, Kang Kon, was damaged in a launch ceremony he called “criminal”.
Mr Kim, who witnessed the incident, said at the time it “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse”.
The regime has claimed the ship was relaunched in June after being repaired – and a third Choe Hyon-class destroyer is also said to be set for completion in the next few months.
The battleship visit came as the North Korean leader criticised the start of US-South Korea military drills, saying it showed hostility and their “will to ignite a war”, KCNA reported.
He claimed the annual drills had become more provocative as they included a “nuclear element”, meaning the North had to respond with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures.
“The security environment around the DPRK is getting more serious day by day and the prevailing situation requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearisation,” KCNA paraphrased Mr Kim as saying.
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Around 21,000 troops – including 18,000 South Koreans – will take part in the 11-day-long Ulchi Freedom Shield, which began on Monday.
US and South Korean officials say it’s a defensive exercise but will include “several large-scale, live-fire training events”, as well as lessons from recent conflicts including drone warfare, GPS jamming and cyber attacks.
