Leader Kim Jong-un put his second naval destroyer into service and called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent, state media reported, as the United States, South Korea and Japan held a trilateral military exercise he views as a security threat.
The ship’s commissioning comes as the North is dialling up pressure on the United States after rebuffing President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major military drill with South Korea in a conciliatory step toward Kim. Observers say North Korea wants to wrest bigger US concessions.
The destroyer Kang Kon was commissioned into North Korea’s navy in the eastern port city of Wonsan on Sunday at a ceremony attended by Kim and his teenage daughter, whom South Korea’s spy service calls his likely heir.
The ship and the Choe Hyon, which was put into service in June, are both 5,000-ton destroyers that state media said can carry various conventional and nuclear weapons.
Considered North Korea’s biggest and most advanced warships, the two destroyers were likely built with Russian assistance, experts say.
In July, North Korea said it test-fired nuclear-capable cruise missiles from the Kang Kon.
In a speech at the ceremony, Kim said the back-to-back warship additions instilled fear in the enemies as the nuclear armament of North Korea’s navy made it possible to exercise its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified, practical manner.
Yesterday, the United States, South Korea and Japan kicked off their five-day Freedom Edge exercise in the waters off southern Jeju island.
South Korea’s military said the exercise is defensive in nature and meant to enhance a joint response capability against North Korean nuclear threats.
Last week, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused Washington of more clearly expressing its confrontational posture against the North, citing the Freedom Edge exercise and US officials’ reported comments that Washington remains committed to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea.
On Aug 21, the US and South Korean militaries ended their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise six days earlier than originally planned, after Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the drill.
Kim has previously said he could return to talks if the United States drops its “hostile policy” and respects “North Korea’s status as a nuclear state”. — AP
