Kim oversees naval destroyer, cruise missile test: state media

Kim Jong Un oversaw tests this week of North Korea’s naval destroyer, claiming that Pyongyang is in the process of “arming the navy with nuclear weapons”, state media reported on Thursday.

The tests – including the launch of a sea-to-surface cruise missile – came shortly after Kim led a major once-in-five-years Party Congress, where he renewed calls for a military build-up and vowed to respond forcefully to any threats.

They also come as the nuclear-armed North’s main adversary, the United States, launched a joint offensive with Israel against Iran aimed at dismantling the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme, missiles and naval forces.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim inspected a Choe Hyon-class destroyer on Tuesday — one of two vessels launched last year — and oversaw a “shakedown”, or performance, test.

“The arming of the Navy with nuclear weapons is making satisfactory progress,” Kim said, according to KCNA.

“All these successes constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century,” he added.

The following day, Kim observed a missile launch from the ship, which KCNA said was “successfully carried out”.

The Choe Hyon-class vessel is one of two 5,000-tonne destroyers currently in North Korea’s fleet, both launched last year as Kim seeks to strengthen the country’s naval capabilities.

A third vessel is under construction, which Kim also inspected on Wednesday, KCNA reported.

### ‘Show of force’

Pyongyang has previously said the Choe Hyon destroyer is equipped with the “most powerful weapons”.

Some analysts believe the ship could carry short-range tactical missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads, although North Korea has not demonstrated that it can reliably miniaturise its nuclear arsenal.

Pyongyang last week condemned the ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression”, saying the attacks revealed Washington’s “rogue” nature.

Kim’s latest move involving the destroyer appears to be “intended as a show of force amid the ongoing Iran situation and ahead of upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States", said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies.

Pyongyang and Washington have long been adversaries, though the United States has recently attempted to revive high-level diplomatic talks with North Korea.

Reports and analysts have suggested Washington is considering a potential summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim later this year.

After largely ignoring those overtures for months, Kim said last month that the two countries could “get along” if Washington accepted North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state.