North's Kim Jong-un oversees missile launches from new warship in move to bolster sea-based nuclear capacity
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, walks in front of a naval warship in this photo released by the North’s official media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. Kim reportedly oversaw test launches of strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/a3181889-7b82-4f07-a081-7ce5eadc5e14.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, walks in front of a naval warship in this photo released by the North’s official media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. Kim reportedly oversaw test launches of strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw test launches of strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from a new warship, the North's Rodong Sinmun reported Tuesday.
North Korea launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the Choe Hyun, a destroyer weighing about 5,000 tons, ahead of the warship's commissioning on Sunday.
The cruise missiles flew for 7,869 to 7,920 seconds, or about two hours 11 minutes to two hours 12 minutes, and the anti-ship missiles for 1,960 to 1,973 seconds, or about 32 minutes 40 seconds to 32 minutes 53 seconds, over the Yellow Sea before hitting their targets with "ultra-precision hit accuracy."
The test is an attempt to rapidly advance nuclear capabilities to a point where they become effectively irreversible, while global attention is focused on the Middle East amid the Iran war, according to experts.
“North Korea appears to regard the current security vacuum, as global attention is focused on the U.S.-Iran war, as a golden opportunity to concentrate on advancing its nuclear capabilities," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. "Its persistent and frequent push this year to strengthen nuclear deterrence reflects not just technological display but a desperate calculation for survival and dominance.”
North Korea also test-fired cruise missiles from the vessel on March 4 and 10 to inspect its weapons systems.
Tuesday's state media report included a photo of Kim watching the launches from a dock with military officials.
"It is our Party's invariable national defense line and most important priority task to steadily and unlimitedly bolster up the powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," the report paraphrased Kim.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks at test launches in this photo released by the North’s official Rodong Sinmun on April 14. He reportedly oversaw strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/208e4fd9-6e31-452d-9bac-18c64f5a17c8.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks at test launches in this photo released by the North’s official Rodong Sinmun on April 14. He reportedly oversaw strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]
Kim’s attendance at the tests is seen as an effort to show that North Korea is close to achieving the capability to carry out a nuclear “second strike” — launching retaliatory nuclear strikes after being attacked first — from the sea, per expert assessments.
For instance, some of the country’s Hwasal cruise missiles — long-range, nuclear-capable land-attack weapons designed for precision strikes and to evade defenses by flying at low altitudes — are believed to be capable of carrying the Hwasan-31, which North Korea claims is a tactical nuclear warhead.
The stated purpose of the latest test fires also supports this assessment. It included checking the warship’s integrated weapons control system, training personnel in missile operations and confirming the accuracy and precision of an improved anti-jamming navigation system.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, stands on a dock in this photo released by the North’s official media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. Kim reportedly oversaw test launches of strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/89ac1ded-5f95-4a22-8199-a630dd852f07.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, stands on a dock in this photo released by the North’s official media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. Kim reportedly oversaw test launches of strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which is set to be commissioned, on Sunday. [NEWS1]
Kim was also briefed on the same day on plans for the weapons systems of the third and fourth destroyers under construction, according to the same Rodong Sinmun report.
He reportedly expressed "great satisfaction," saying that “preparedness of our army's strategic action has been strengthened in a qualitative way," and issued directives to further enhance strategic and tactical strike capabilities and refine rapid-response readiness, though specific details were not disclosed.
![A North Korean naval warship is pictured in this photo released by the North’s media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/017d04e7-945f-4615-8a9c-64d2bf272986.jpg)
A North Korean naval warship is pictured in this photo released by the North’s media, the Rodong Sinmun, on April 14. [NEWS1]
North Korea’s long-term regime and security strategy were also highlighted in two separate developments.
A different Rodong Sinmun report on Tuesday stated that Kim sent about 2.9 billion won ($1.96 million) in scholarships to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan to mark the upcoming 114th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's late founder, on Wednesday.
Despite redefining inter-Korean relations as those between “two hostile states” and moving away from ideas of national unity and reunification, North Korea has continued to provide such support. Analysts say this reflects an effort to cultivate younger generations of pro-North Koreans in Japan as a key base for sustaining the regime, potentially with long-term dynastic succession in mind.
![Satellite imagery taken on Nov. 13, 2025 shows six heat exchangers installed around a blue-roofed building believed to house uranium enrichment equipment at North Korea’s nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/14/8b0781e3-dae2-42e0-a922-ddbee389f436.jpg)
Satellite imagery taken on Nov. 13, 2025 shows six heat exchangers installed around a blue-roofed building believed to house uranium enrichment equipment at North Korea’s nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
In a separate development, satellite imagery released on Monday suggests North Korea has completed construction of a new building at Yongbyon, believed to be a uranium enrichment facility, according to an assessment by Beyond Parallel, a North Korea-focused website run by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Construction of the facility is believed to have begun in mid-December 2024, with most exterior work completed by early June 2025.
The International Atomic Energy Agency had also reported in June last year that North Korea was building a uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province, to produce weapons-grade material for nuclear arms.
The latest satellite images, taken on April 2, showed the facility largely complete, including structures believed to house a backup power generator, administrative support functions and vehicle storage. Activity observed over the past four months suggests work is still underway to complete the interior, the Beyond Parallel report said.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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