Attention is focusing on the timing of “eight months later” thrown by Kim Jong-un at the commissioni..

Kang Kyung-ho, a new 5,000-ton destroyer, spoke at the service ceremony

사진 확대 North Korean State Councilor Kim Jong-un and his daughter Joo-ae are taking a commemorative photo with commanders and marines on the function deck of the destroyer Ganggyeongho, which entered service at Wonsan Port on the 6th. [Yonhap News]

Attention is focusing on the timing of “eight months later” thrown by Kim Jong-un at the commissioning ceremony of North Korea’s new 5,000-ton destroyer “Kang Geon-ho.” It is observed that North Korea may have virtually foreshadowed the new naval strategic assets that North Korea will present in the future rather than the actual deployment of the strong ship.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 7th that Kang Sung-ho’s service ceremony was held at Wonsan Port the previous day with Chairman Kim in attendance.

Referring to the “realization of the Navy’s nuclear armament,” Chairman of the states Affairs Commission Kim said in a speech at the military service ceremony on the day, “We are now implementing an important plan to strengthen the naval power. I will prove it to the world again in eight months.”

However, it did not specify what the plan was.

However, it is possible that the remarks were made with strategic assets in mind more than just the additional construction of ships, given that Chairman Kim presented a separate important plan and the timing of disclosure shortly after emphasizing the nuclear armament of the Navy.

The most notable is the nuclear-powered submarine, which is known to be under construction by North Korea. North Korea has been pushing for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines as a key project in the modernization of the Navy. If nuclear-powered submarines are actually deployed, North Korea’s nuclear threat could extend beyond land-based launchers and watercraft to underwater.

Unlike watercrafts, submarines have a different nature of the threat in that it is difficult to continuously locate them. If a submarine equipped with nuclear weapons is equipped with underwater operational capabilities for a long time, it could put more pressure on South Korea and the U.S. to detect and respond to signs of a nuclear attack from North Korea in advance.

사진 확대 North Korea held a ceremony to commemorate the entry into service of the Choi Hyun-class destroyer No. 2 Kang Sung-ho at Wonsan Port on the 6th with Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong-un in attendance, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 7th. [Yonhap News]

Chairman of the states Affairs Commission Kim’s “eight months from now” will be around May next year. This is why there is a possibility that North Korea will disclose the essence or construction of nuclear-powered submarines, new submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), or additional new destroyers in time for this period.

Kang Kyung-ho’s commission is also seen as part of the process of reorganizing North Korea’s naval power. In June, North Korea deployed the same 5,000-ton “Choi Hyun-ho” to the West Sea Fleet and deployed the Ganggyeong to the East Sea. By deploying new destroyers in the East and West Seas respectively, it is attempting to transition from a coastal navy centered on existing small ships to a strategic navy that operates missiles and nuclear weapons.

Chairman of the states Affairs Commission Kim said on the same day, “The nuclear armament of our Navy has been realized, making it more suitable, diversified, and practical for the use of deterrence.” He also disclosed that a naval base was being built in the East Sea, noting that it was “sending a clear signal to the enemy.”

Meanwhile, during the launch ceremony held in May last year, the Ganggyeong was trying to float on the water when the hull tilted and fell and ran aground.

Even after the ship was pulled out of the water 22 days after the accident and the launch ceremony was carried out, questions have been raised about whether it is operating normally, but analysts have suggested that there is a high possibility of commissioning before and after the North Korean regime’s establishment date (September 9), as Chairman Kim observed tests of major weapons systems, including missiles mounted on the Ganggyeong on the 5th of last month.