North Korea to Construct 10,000-Tonne Destroyer Ahead of Chinese President's Visit, State Media Reports

KCNA via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae visit the naval vessel Kang Kon.

North Korea plans to build a ‌10,000-ton destroyer and develop secret underwater weapons, state media said on Saturday, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, reporting on a Thursday naval test supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said he ordered the navy to deploy the destroyer Kang Kon and another 5,000-ton warship, the Choe Hyon, as ⁠soon as possible.

The North Korean leader said Pyongyang must enhance its naval capabilities to deter a nuclear war, while calling for powerful military capabilities across land, sea and air, the newspaper said.

President Xi is making his first visit ‌to ⁠North Korea in nearly seven years as Beijing looks to reassert ties with Pyongyang, its only formal treaty ally.

Before the visit was announced, Kim on Thursday called for an "exponential" expansion of North Korea's atomic arsenal during a visit to a newly operational nuclear material production factory.

During Kim's ship ⁠inspection, he was joined by his daughter, believed to be a teenager named Ju Ae, a photo published by the newspaper showed.

North Korea said in May 2025 that a 5,000-ton destroyer had partially capsized ⁠during a launching ceremony in Chongjin port. Kim, who was overseeing the ceremony, condemned the accident and called it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated.

After the ship ⁠was repaired at Rajin port, a second launching ceremony was held the next month, when the vessel was named the Kang Kon.

Source: Reuters



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