North Korea launched several missiles in a test run of enhanced military capabilities from the country’s first-ever naval destroyer warship, the Choe Hyon.
The communist country debuted its new naval vessel last week during a special ceremony at the port of Nampo. Government officials cited increased tensions with the U.S. and their cooperative military drills with South Korea and Japan as reasons why the warship’s development was necessary.
The weapons testing, which occurred on April 28 and 29, included launching a supersonic cruise missile, a strategic cruise missile, and an anti-aircraft missile from the Choe Hyon, according to reports from North Korea’s state media. A 127 mm automatic gun on the naval vessel was also test-fired.
Supreme leader Kim Jong Un and several other high-ranking officials in North Korea’s government observed the test firings from the ship and called for his country to continue modernizing its fleet. As part of the updates, Kim called for enhancements to include nuclear weapons in North Korea’s naval attack capabilities. Kim emphasized that the “time has come to make a responsible option for accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy in order to defend the state and maritime sovereignty” from geopolitical threats.
Russia is believed to have aided in the construction of North Korea’s new destroyer. The two countries ratified a defense treaty in November, strengthening their military alliance. As part of that agreement, both countries agreed to cooperate in establishing a “just and multipolar new world order” and defend each other in case of an attack from a foreign power. Kim announced that the Choe Hyon would be deployed in early 2026, according to NBC News.
“In case any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay,” reported North Korean state media.
Hostilities on the Korean peninsula have heightened in recent months, with both North Korea and South Korea engaging in military drills that each side has claimed were signs of aggression. North Korea has responded to these drills, especially joint military drills with the U.S. and Japan, by launching ballistic missiles in weapons testing.
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North Korea has intensified its weapons testing in recent months. One of its first missile tests occurred on Oct. 31, 2024, firing the weapon into the Sea of Japan. A subsequent test happened a few days later, on Nov. 5, 2024, the date of the U.S. presidential election.
“The United States strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) intercontinental ballistic missile test,” NSC spokesman Sean Savett said after the October test by North Korea. “This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. While U.S. INDOPACOM has assessed it did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, this launch needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.”
