North Korea’s new naval destroyer, which suffered a botched launch last May, is now seaworthy and testing its weapons systems, state media reported.
The state-run Korea Central Television aired footage on Sunday of the vessel firing its main gun and autocannon, as well as several vertically launched missiles.
State media outlet Korean Central News Agency reported that these were “strategic,” or essentially nuclear-capable, cruise missiles.
The tests aboard the 5,000-ton warship, the Kang Kon, took place on Friday and were attended by North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, KCNA reported.
The ship also trialed electronic warfare, information processing, and target detection systems, the outlet added.
The Kang Kon is the second vessel in its class, with Pyongyang’s first 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, commissioned in late June.
The destroyers are a centerpiece of Kim’s ambition to bolster North Korea’s navy and turn it into a nuclear-capable seafaring force that would complement its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Kang Kon, however, got off to a rough start in May 2025 when its launch was bungled because its stern slid down a ramp too early, crushing part of its hull as it lost balance.
Satellite photos at the time showed the ship capsized, lying on its side and partially listing. Calling the failure a “serious accident and criminal act,” Kim detained several chief workers responsible for the launch.
The ship was re-launched a month later after repairs, and its weapons testing is a likely sign that it’s a step closer to active duty.
In Sunday’s state media reports, Kim ordered his officials to prepare the Kang Kon for active duty within two months.
Kim plans to have Pyongyang build two more Choe Hyon-class destroyers, which are now the largest in North Korea’s fleet, as well as a separate 10,000-ton warship.
In 2023, North Korea also launched the Hero Kim Kun Ok, a submarine designed to launch both ballistic and cruise missiles. It was loosely based on the Soviet Romeo-class attack submarine from the 1950s.
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