Kim Jong Un highlights progress in naval nuclear armament

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un boarded the destroyer Choe Hyon to observe a missile test launch, state media reported Wednesday. The move appeared aimed at demonstrating the regime’s resilience following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran while reaffirming Pyongyang’s commitment to advancing its nuclear capabilities.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim observed a test launch of a ship-to-ground strategic cruise missile on Monday and Tuesday while aboard the Choe Hyon at the Nampo Shipyard. The vessel, launched in April last year, is North Korea’s first 5,000-ton destroyer and is often described as the country’s version of an Aegis-equipped warship.

North Korea claims the destroyer is capable of launching various cruise missiles as well as ballistic missiles and can carry nuclear warheads.

During an inspection of the destroyer Monday, Kim said the Navy’s underwater and surface strike capabilities would expand rapidly. He also stated that the nuclear armament of the Navy is being carried out satisfactorily.

Photographs released by North Korean media suggest that at least four missiles were fired during the test. It marks the first time Pyongyang has publicly shown consecutive cruise missile launches from the Choe Hyon.

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Kim’s emphasis on the “nuclear armament of the Navy” appears intended to underscore a contrast with Iran, which does not possess operational nuclear weapons capability.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University, said Kim’s remarks, delivered amid the war involving Iran, reiterate Pyongyang’s longstanding message. Statements stressing the defense of sovereignty and the responsibility to maintain deterrence signal that North Korea intends to adhere to its principle of responding forcefully to perceived pressure.

Meanwhile, Elbridge Colby, the U.S. undersecretary for policy at the United States Department of Defense, said Tuesday that Washington is fully aware of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, he responded to a question about why the United States had not publicly addressed North Korea, which is believed to possess about 60 nuclear weapons.

Also Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. attack on Iran does not change Washington’s position toward North Korea. Responding to a question about whether the strike would alter the U.S. posture on the Korean Peninsula, she said there has been no shift in the U.S. stance regarding North Korea.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com