MOSCOW — North Korea tested cruise missiles from a destroyer Saturday, with Kim Jong Un on the ship’s deck when they launched — a demonstration that carried clear intent about what Pyongyang wants its navy capable of doing.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim supervised the test from the Kang Kon, a 5,000-ton destroyer that partially capsized during its original launch ceremony in 2023, was repaired, and returned to service. The missiles tested Saturday are classified as nuclear-capable delivery systems in North Korean doctrine.
The test covered more than missiles. The exercise also evaluated the Kang Kon’s gun and cannon systems and its electronic warfare capabilities, according to KCNA. Kim issued an order at the conclusion of the exercise that the ship be formally commissioned into active service within two months.
The Kang Kon belongs to the same class as the Choe Hyon, a destroyer North Korea commissioned in 2024 as the beginning of a stated naval modernisation programme. The Korean People’s Army Navy has historically operated a large but aging fleet of small combatants suited for coastal defence. Pyongyang has described both ships as steps toward projecting maritime power beyond the peninsula’s immediate coastal waters — a capability it has not previously held in any meaningful form.
The test comes as North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia has deepened substantially, with Korean soldiers deployed alongside Russian units in the current operation in Ukraine and arms transfers accelerating, according to South Korean and Western intelligence assessments. Korea JoongAng Daily reported details of the exercise, including Kim’s visible presence on board during the launch. That military partnership has drawn condemnation from Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington.
What missions the Kang Kon will be assigned once commissioned — and whether the two-month deadline Kim set is achievable — has not been addressed beyond the commissioning order itself.
