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North’s Kim makes nuclear-armed navy push in first military inspection since start of Iran war

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 18:50

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, inspects the Choe Hyon destroyer on March 3 to review combat training and assess its operational capabilities, in this photo carried by the North's official Rodong Sinmun on March 5. [NEWS1]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a cruise missile test from a new 5,000-ton destroyer and reiterated his push for a nuclear-armed navy this week in his first public military-related appearance since the start of the Iran war, state media reported Thursday.

Though state media framed the show of military power as an effort to encourage defense tasks outlined at the recent Ninth Party Congress, analysts say it was also meant to showcase the navy’s nuclear strike capability after U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting Iran's leadership rattled Pyongyang.

The move comes ahead of the annual South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield military drills scheduled to run from Monday through March 19.

Kim visited the Choe Hyon destroyer on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he "reviewed the combat training of the ship’s units and inspected an assessment of the vessel’s operational capabilities ahead of its commissioning, according to the Rodong Sinmun.

Kim expressed satisfaction that individual system tests for the destroyer were "going smoothly as planned" and said the "arming of the Navy with nuclear weapons is making satisfactory progress."

“I will have a strongest navy built," Kim said, according to the newspaper.

North Korea test-fires sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles from a new destroyer, the Choe Hyon, on March 4, in this photo carried by the North's Rodong Sinmun on March 5. [NEWS1]

The Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton destroyer unveiled in April of last year, is undergoing final evaluations before entering active service. During this week's visit, Kim also observed the launch of what state media described as a “strategic cruise missile” fired from the ship. The Rodong Sinmun reported the test was "successfully carried out."

The report did not provide technical details about the missile, but analysts say the weapon could belong to the Hwasal series of cruise missiles, which North Korea has said can carry its Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead.

Cruise missiles, which fly at low altitudes and maneuver along complex routes, are considered more difficult for missile defense systems to intercept than ballistic missiles. Some analysts say North Korea may have deliberately chosen such a test with an eye on developments in the Middle East.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, takes a ride on the Choe Hyon destroyer in this photo carried by the North's official Rodong Sinmun on March 5. [NEWS1]

Kim also called for a major expansion of the country’s naval forces.

"Every year during the new five-year plan period, we must build two surface warships of this class or of a higher class, and correctly implement the gigantic plan of increasing the fighting strength of surface warships," he said.

Kim added that the upcoming defense development plan would transform the structure of North Korea’s armed forces and strengthen their ability to defend the country’s sovereignty through a “capability for real actions and through practice."

Analysts say the renewed emphasis on naval power reflects Pyongyang’s recognition of its relative weakness at sea compared with its adversaries.

While the North has made progress modernizing its conventional ground forces and developing drones through deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war, experts say its naval capabilities remain relatively limited.

The imbalance may have been underscored by a recent incident in which a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday — a development that could heighten North Korea’s sense of vulnerability.

State media also reported that Kim reviewed progress on the construction of a third destroyer of the same class at the Nampho Shipyard.

Combatants of special operations units give a demonstration of their training as the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, visits a training base of the North Korean army in Pyongyang on March 3 to oversee a shooting contest of snipers from the army's units at all levels that it held to mark Sniper's Day, in this photo released by the North's official Rodong Sinmun on March 5. [NEWS1]

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Kim attended a shooting competition for snipers from special operations units at a military training base in Pyongyang to mark "Sniper's Day." Photographs released by state media showed troops wearing camouflage ghillie suits and demonstrating close-combat skills such as breaking concrete blocks and subduing knife-wielding opponents with their bare hands.

Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Kim’s recent military activities appeared partly driven by events in Iran.

“Kim Jong-un’s moves appear to reflect concern over the military pressure the United States demonstrated in Iran, including its removal of the country’s leadership,” Oh said. “He is trying to show that North Korea can carry out nuclear strikes not only from land-based systems but also from naval platforms, while also sending a signal ahead of the Freedom Shield exercises.”

At a military parade held on the last day of the congress, Kim had stressed the need to assert North Korea's nuclear status, saying the "army will deliver terrible retaliatory attacks to any forces the moment they commit hostile military acts of infringing upon our national sovereignty and security interests."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]