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North's ramped-up construction of third destroyer suggests bid to build nuclear-armed navy, lawmaker says

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 13:41 Updated: 02 Apr. 2026, 17:28

A satellite image taken by U.S. satellite company Vantor on March 28 shows the area around Nampho Dockyard. The circles indicate North Korean cranes and ships. [YU YONG-WEON]

North Korea appears to be accelerating construction of its third 5,000-ton destroyer, a sign that state leader Kim Jong-un’s push to build a navy with an independent nuclear strike capability is beginning to take shape in earnest.

The construction can also be read as part of an effort to quickly carry out defense tasks laid out at the Ninth Party Congress in February.

Conservative People Power Party Rep. Yu Yong-weon released his analysis on Thursday, using satellite images of the area around Nampho Dockyard taken from March 12 through Saturday by Vantor, a U.S. satellite imagery company.

The images show North Korea keeping large cranes and a floating crane in constant operation around what appears to be the third Choe Hyon-class destroyer under construction at Nampho Dockyard.

The periodic repositioning of a large crane suggests the work has moved beyond simple material loading and into later-stage construction, including the lifting of large blocks and upper structures such as radar and weapons systems, according to Yu.

“Crane activity around the vessel is consistent with the fitting-out stage, when sensors, masts and piping are installed after the hull’s exterior has been completed,” said Jang Young-geun, who runs the missile center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. “What matters is that North Korea appears to be maintaining a shipbuilding and port operations system capable of sustaining the construction of large surface combatants.”

The satellite images also captured signs that North Korea is continuing to prepare the Choe Hyon, the first ship of the class, for operational deployment. Exhaust from the destroyer’s funnel indicated engine activity, while movement by a smaller crane suggested additional weapons may be being installed.

A satellite image taken by U.S. satellite company Vantor on March 28 shows the area around Nampho Dockyard. The circles indicate North Korean cranes and ships. [YU YONG-WEON]

The Choe Hyon is a new destroyer equipped with a four-sided phased-array radar and a combined air defense weapon resembling Russia’s Pantsir system.

Earlier this year, North Korea conducted ship operation drills and performance evaluation tests for the Choe Hyon at Nampho Dockyard from March 3 to 4.

Kim reportedly expressed satisfaction at the North Korean Navy's nuclear armament, and also instructed officials to complete another Choe Hyon-class destroyer by Oct. 10, the anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party. The state leader called for two destroyers of this class or larger to be built each year under the new five-year plan.

North Korea, however, also embarrassed itself in May 2025 when it rushed the construction of the second Choe Hyon-class destroyer, the Kang Kon, only for the vessel to capsize during its launching ceremony.

“Thanks to Russia’s all-around military technology assistance, the pace of North Korea’s naval modernization is quickening,” Yu said. “Kim's recent remarks about the navy’s nuclear armament openly reveal his intention to operate Choe Hyon-class destroyers as platforms for nuclear missile delivery, including Hwasal cruise missiles and a sea-launched ballistic missile modeled on North Korea’s version of the Iskander.”

North Korea’s 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon launches a strategic cruise missile on March 10 in this photo carried by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on March 11. [NEWS1]

Meanwhile, North Korea on Thursday objected to a UN resolution on its human rights record, which the South Korean government joined as a co-sponsor, calling it a “political provocation.”

“The ‘resolution,’ cooked up actively by those countries habituated to inveterate repugnancy toward the DPRK, is a political fraud document full of false data that totally distorted the DPRK's policy for ensuring genuine human rights and its actual situation,” said a North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson.

DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.

“The DPRK Foreign Ministry brands the adoption of this anti-DPRK ‘human rights resolution’ as a grave political provocation to the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and denounces and rejects it in the most powerful language.”

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, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]