North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw weapons tests for the 5,000-tonne Kang-kun destroyer, which included the launch of cruise missiles and the use of "electronic warfare," state media reported on Sunday.
Friday's tests took place, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported, less than two weeks after another destroyer, the Choi Hyun, which also weighs 5,000 tons, entered service, with Kim pledging at the inauguration ceremony to supply his navy with nuclear weapons and develop new 10,000-ton warships.
After testing its weapons on Friday, the North Korean leader instructed the destroyer Kang Kun to enter service in the navy "within two months," according to the agency , which published a photo showing Kim surrounded by officials observing the tests from a coastal observation post.
Another image shows the destroyer Kang Kun firing a missile into the open sea, as a cloud of smoke rises from the launch site, and Kim stressed the need to accelerate the pace of strengthening North Korea's "war deterrence," stressing his country's determination to "possess absolute power," according to the agency.
Kang Kun had an accident during its inauguration in May last year when it partially overturned and was damaged, in the presence of Kim, who called the incident a "criminal act caused by utter negligence" and ordered those responsible to be held accountable.
Maritime ambitions
Military think tanks assert that Kim's instructions to launch the ship within two months may be linked to an important political anniversary, with the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul stating, "Given North Korea's political calendar, the most likely scenario is that the ship will be inaugurated to coincide with the country's 78th anniversary on September 9."
Once in service, the warship is likely to be stationed off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, he said, expecting the focus "for now to be on building efficiency in low-risk coastal operations."
Pyongyang has always stressed that it will not give up its nuclear weapon since the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit between Kim Jong Un and his US counterpart Donald Trump over a dispute over the scope of denuclearization and sanctions relief.
North Korea, the isolated nuclear state, is still officially at war with its southern neighbor, since the war between them between 1950 and 1953 ended with an armistice agreement rather than a peace treaty, noting that the South Korean navy operates more than 10 ships with a tonnage of more than 5,000 tons, compared to only two ships owned by North Korea.
Seoul and Washington respond firmly
Official reactions from South Korea and the United States have been sharp and cautious, with both countries condemning North Korea's recent missile test as a direct threat to regional security, with joint analysis of military data immediately initiated.
South Korea has described the launch of a cruise missile from the destroyer Kang-kun towards the East Sea as a clear violation of Security Council resolutions, announcing an increase in combat readiness on the maritime border, and speaking that the new destroyer may have received direct Russian technical support, although doubts remain about its operational efficiency due to a previous construction accident.
The United States, through its Indo-Pacific command, announced that it had begun a detailed joint analysis with South Korean intelligence to understand the technical characteristics of the missile and the electronic warfare systems used, stressing that its commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan is "unwavering," and that recent tests will push for strengthening trilateral defense coordination and deploying more strategic assets in the region.
The nature of Russia's "alleged" support
Western intelligence reports have said that Russian support for Kim Jong-un's fleet, if true, is focused on providing Pyongyang with advanced naval and missile technology in exchange for the munitions and missiles Moscow needs in the Ukraine war.
The assistance includes modern radar systems derived from Russian designs, engineering support for the repair of the destroyer Kangkun, as well as the transfer of nuclear propulsion technologies from decommissioned Russian submarines, giving North Korea a major leap forward in its nuclear submarine project.
Reports have expressed their belief that Russia has contributed to the development of sea-winged and ballistic missiles and vertical launchers on Korean ships.
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