North Korea plans third 5,000-ton destroyer amid push for nuclear-capable navy

North Korea announced plans to construct its third 5,000-ton-class warship of the Choe Hyon class by October 10 next year, the founding day of the ruling Workers’ Party. The move appears to be part of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s initiative to strengthen naval power, possibly with Russian support, and diversify platforms capable of delivering tactical nuclear weapons.

The state-run Rodong Sinmun reported on July 22 that “a rally took place on July 21 at Nampo Shipyard to launch construction of the third Choe Hyon-class destroyer.”

The North announced a detailed schedule to complete construction by October 10, 2026, during the rally and began work following the event, according to the newspaper.

Attendees included Jo Chun-ryong, secretary for munitions industry of the Workers’ Party, along with workers, engineers and officials from the shipbuilding sector at Nampo Shipyard.

“Let us once again demonstrate the boundless creativity and unyielding spirit of the vanguard force that proudly leads the Party Central’s vision of building a strong military by successfully completing the destroyer within the set time frame,” said Yoon Chi-gul, director of the shipyard, in a speech.

North Korea launched its first 5,000-ton-class destroyer, the Choe Hyon, on April 26. A second destroyer of the same class was launched on May 21 but ran aground shortly thereafter, drawing international ridicule.

The stricken vessel was salvaged and named Kang Kon, with a relaunch ceremony held on June 12.

In his speech at the ceremony, Kim Jong-un announced plans to deploy two destroyers of the Choe Hyon class or higher each year starting in 2026, as part of broader naval enhancement efforts.

This newly announced construction plan appears to be in line with Kim’s directive.

“North Korea seems to be trying to establish a platform capable of nuclear strikes at sea as part of its ongoing effort to deploy nuclear missiles in practice,” said Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “This is closely tied to Kim Jong-un’s declaration of a complete break in inter-Korean relations.”

Since Kim redefined inter-Korean ties as those of two hostile states at a Workers’ Party plenum at the end of 2023, North Korea has ramped up efforts to boost its naval capabilities.

Experts say this correlates with Kim’s dismissal of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) — the de facto maritime border in the East Sea — as an illegitimate “phantom line,” signaling possible moves to establish a new maritime boundary.

Analysts believe North Korea is attempting to compensate for its relatively weak navy compared to those of South Korea and the United States, aiming to gain a military advantage near the NLL and improve its overall capacity for maritime operations.

The decision to target October 10, 2026, for the destroyer’s completion is also noteworthy, as the founding day of the Workers’ Party is one of North Korea’s most prominently celebrated political anniversaries.

The Choe Hyon and Kang Kon were both constructed in less than a year, having begun around spring last year and launched in April and May of this year, respectively. Warships in the 5,000 to 8,000-ton class typically take 18 to 24 months to build — indicating North Korea has significantly compressed the timeline.

Although construction on the new ship is starting about 14 months in advance, North Korea’s characteristically fast-paced “speed battle” approach is expected to continue. The regime likely feels an urgent need to recover from the embarrassment caused by the grounding of the Kang Kon, which was widely reported via satellite imagery and raised doubts about the ship’s operability.

The project may also aim to shape Pyongyang’s growing ties with Moscow. Analysts suggest that North Korea sees an opportunity to modernize its military by leveraging its alignment with Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Securing a viable platform for maritime nuclear strikes — a key goal for Kim — is widely seen as difficult without Russian technical support. Observers also note that recent reports of a possible third North Korean military deployment in support of Russia could bolster Pyongyang’s leverage in future negotiations after the war.

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO   [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]