The commissioning ceremony for the Kang Kon destroyer took place at Wonsan port on 6/9, attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his daughter, and numerous military officials and commanders.

"Under orders from North Korea's Central Military Commission, the Kang Kon will be assigned to the East Sea Fleet, fulfilling the vital mission of safeguarding North Korea's maritime sovereignty as a nuclear deterrent force," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported today.

North Korea and South Korea use the term "East Sea" to refer to the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. This area is known as the Sea of Japan in Tokyo.

North Korean artillery fires during the commissioning ceremony for the Kang Kon destroyer in Wonsan on 6/9. *Photo: KCNA*

Leader Kim Jong-un affirmed that the Kang Kon destroyer "not only embodies economic, defense, and scientific-technical capabilities but also serves as proof of North Korea's will and spirit in protecting the nation's legitimate rights and interests."

He declared that North Korea is developing naval nuclear capabilities and will continue to accelerate the deployment of strategic assets in key maritime areas to protect its maritime sovereignty and regional security.

According to the North Korean leader, as a force within the national nuclear counterattack system, an advanced destroyer like the Kang Kon "must be ready to deliver a fatal retaliatory strike against the enemy whenever ordered."

North Korea has not disclosed the weapon systems equipped on the Kang Kon destroyer. KCNA stated that the ship's configuration is similar to the Choe Hyon warship, commissioned in 6/. Experts suggest that Choe Hyon-class destroyers could carry missiles with nuclear warheads.

Leader Kim Jong-un, his daughter, and military commanders inspect the Kang Kon ship on 6/9. *Photo: KCNA*

The Kang Kon is the second vessel of the Choe Hyon class, North Korea's largest and most modern warship in its history. The ship experienced a serious incident during its launch ceremony at a shipyard in Chongjin city in 5/2025. Satellite images showed it capsized, resting precariously half on land and half in water, a challenging situation for rescue operations.

KCNA initially reported "some parts of the ship's bottom were crushed," but later announced that a detailed inspection of the underwater section and interior of the warship revealed no holes, contrary to preliminary information.

The Kang Kon warship was successfully salvaged and launched in 6/2025. Western experts at the time questioned whether it could achieve full operational status.

North Korea refers to the Choe Hyon class as destroyers, whereas Western experts classify them as heavy missile frigates with displacement comparable to advanced European warships.

The Kang Kon destroyer in the Wonsan port area on 6/9. *Photo: KCNA*

Each ship measures 140-145 m in length, 16 m in width, with a full-load displacement of approximately 5,000 tons. The Choe Hyon ship was initially equipped with 74 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, arranged in two launcher clusters forward and aft of the superstructure. North Korea later appears to have modified the configuration, increasing it to 88 launch cells.

In comparison, the US Constellation-class frigates, whose development program was canceled, had only 32 Mark 41 launch cells, while Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, with a displacement of over 9,000 tons, are equipped with 90-96 cells.

Additionally, each ship is fitted with a 127 mm naval gun, a Pantsir-ME-style close-in weapon system, two AK-630 automatic rapid-fire guns, anti-ship missile launchers, and Bulsae-4 anti-tank guided missile launchers.

Nguyen Tien (According to KCNA, Reuters)