Test-firings of missiles from a newly launched destroyer Choe Hyon(Image: (Image: KCNA))North Korea is constructing the second of its planned fleet of formidable naval guided-missile destroyers, despite the first flagship vessel appearing to be unable to move on its own.
Leader Kim Jong Un believes the ‘Choe Hyon-class’ ships, potentially capable of launching nuclear missiles, will provide the totalitarian state with additional leverage against its neighbors and the US.
The first 5,000-tonne vessel was unveiled last month in a state media broadcast, with Kim Jong Un announcing that the warship would be operational by 2026.
He described the largest vessel ever built by North Korea, named after a general who fought alongside the nation’s founder, as a “convincing war deterrent” and warned that “if the US continues to renew its record in the protests of military power, we will have no choice but to renew it in the exercise of strategic deterrence.”
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However, military analysts observed that the warship remained stationary during the grand launch ceremony and noted that satellite images showed it was unable to sail under its own power, requiring tugboats to tow it before and after the event, reports the Express.
Experts now believe that the vessel lacks a “functioning propulsion system” at present.
Despite this, new satellite images reveal that a second vessel is already under construction at the Hambuk Shipyard in Chongjin.
Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter visit the test-firings(Image: (Image: KCNA))Like its sister vessel, the 144-meter long ship seems to be equipped with vertical launch missile systems (VLS), likely armed with a mix of anti-air, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-ballistic missile capabilities, as well as land attack cruise and tactical ballistic missiles, which could potentially carry nuclear warheads.
North Korea is believed to be planning to construct four Choe Hyon-class battleships, positioning two each in the East Sea (Tonghae) and West Sea (Sohae) Fleets.
This would strengthen its navy alongside possibly nuclear-powered submarines, significantly expanding North Korea’s missile threat and further complicating regional missile defense.
Test-firings from newly launched destroyer Choe Hyon(Image: (Image: KCNA))The name of the new ship remains unknown but it’s expected to be named after other anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been rising in recent months as the North Korean leader continues to speed up his nuclear and missile program and provide weapons and troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Jong Un oversaw tests of short-range ballistic missile systems, simulating nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces.