Seoul, June 24 (IANS) North Korea has commissioned a new 5,000-ton destroyer with leader Kim Jong-un voicing expectations that the Navy’s combat capabilities will be strengthened to a level “admirable beyond imagination,” state media reported on Wednesday.
Kim made the remarks the previous day at a commissioning ceremony for the “new-type multi-mission” destroyer Choe Hyon at the western port of Nampho, reports Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The ceremony came as the North unveiled the warship in April last year in an effort to enhance the country’s naval power. North Korea has conducted weapons tests from the Choe Hyon in recent months ahead of its commissioning.
In a congratulatory speech, Kim said the destroyer was confirmed to possess “the most perfect, complex operational and combat capability,” according to the KCNA.
“The combat capability of our Navy will grow to be admirable beyond imagination,” he was quoted as saying by the report.
Referring to the North Korean navy’s past reputation as the weakest branch of its military, Kim said, “Things have changed obviously now.”
Kim described the deployment of the destroyer as “a strategic course of crucial importance,” saying that it would strengthen the country’s nuclear deterrent and enable a more diverse and effective operation of its nuclear forces.
He said the Navy “is rising into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic means as the program of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly.”
The Choe Hyon will be commissioned into the West Sea Fleet of the Navy to perform the “honourable mission” of defending the West Sea and deterring war, according to the report.
The destroyer was named after Choe Hyon, an anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter and close aide to the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung. Choe was also the father of Choe Ryong-hae, former chairman of the standing committee of the North’s parliament.
Kim also outlined plans for a further naval buildup, calling for the construction of two Choe Hyon-class or larger surface combatants each year, including 10,000-ton-class cruisers, under the country’s five-year defence development plan.
“Following the Choe Hyon, we will soon commission the destroyer Kang Kon for operations. After that, we will launch 10,000-ton strategic warships one after another,” Kim said, calling for the construction of escort ships and special-purpose vessels, as well as the development and production of underwater weapons systems.
Analysts said the deployment would reflect Pyongyang’s efforts to strengthen military pressure on South Korea under its “two hostile states policy.”
“The deployment could be intended to enhance its capabilities in the Yellow Sea region where South Korean military assets and commercial shipping are concentrated,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defence and Security Forum, said the warship appeared to have undergone design changes since its launch ceremony last year.
“It initially appeared to be designed to carry short-range ship-to-surface ballistic missiles, but the smaller vertical launch cells seen during subsequent testing suggest it may instead be equipped with cruise missiles,” Shin said.
Though the North has emphasised the vessel was built using indigenous technology, some point to possible Russian assistance, as its close-in weapon system resembles Russia’s Pantsir-ME naval air defence system.
–IANS
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