North Korea is taking its nuclear weapons threat to the high seas

The recent test of missiles from North Korea’s new destroyer Choi Hyun indicates a shift toward a more flexible maritime nuclear deterrent, in an attempt to compensate for North Korea’s shortcomings in submarine capabilities.

This month, multiple media outlets reported that North Korea launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from its new 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choi Hyun, as part of operational efficiency tests, as North Korean President Kim Jong Un supervised the launches from the dock accompanied by senior military officials.

The missiles were launched over the waters off the western coast of the country, and these missiles flew on pre-determined paths for long periods that lasted more than two hours, while the anti-ship missiles flew for about half an hour, before hitting targets that North Korea described as “ultra-precise.”

These tests were conducted to evaluate the destroyer’s integrated weapons command and control system, enhance crew skills, and validate the upgraded navigation features and jamming systems.

North Korean Central News Agency, the state’s mouthpiece, described the weapons as “strategic”, while Kim Jong Un reiterated that strengthening the country’s “nuclear deterrence” remains his top priority.

The launch of these missiles is the first officially announced launch of anti-ship missiles, and comes in the midst of broader efforts to expand North Korea’s naval power, including plans to build at least two additional destroyers, and indications of a growing fleet instead of relying on isolated platforms.

Destroyer “Choi Hyun”

According to an analysis conducted by the “Beyond Parallel” Foundation, based in Washington, in April 2025, by a group of researchers, the destroyer “Choi Hyun” is the largest and most advanced North Korean warship, and its length is estimated at about 144 meters, and it is designed as a multi-mission destroyer.

The analysis also indicates that it is characterized by an advanced missile structure that includes 74 cells, including 44 vertical launch cells for “surface-to-air” missiles, and 30 larger cells for mobile or “surface-to-surface” missiles. It also indicates that it is armed with close-range defensive weapons systems, electronic warfare systems, a 127-millimeter cannon, and a platform for landing helicopters and drones.

The analysis also states that it is equipped with the Russian Pantsir-M air defense system, and some estimates indicate that it is capable of supporting air defense, sea defense, anti-submarine defense, and anti-ballistic missile defense missions, not to mention its potential capabilities to launch “hypersonic” cruise missile strikes and tactical ballistic missiles.

Russian help

It is clear that there was Russian assistance in designing the ship. The Wall Street Journal published a video, in June 2025, in which naval analyst Mike Plunkett stated that building such a ship within approximately 13 months would be “impossible” without external assistance, citing the great similarity in design to the Russian “Grigorovitch” frigates.

The newspaper also pointed out the possibility of Russia supplying North Korea with the Pantsir-M air defense system, while Blunkett suggested that Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia in 2023 was a “promotional offer” for the transfer of naval technology.

Choi Hyun will likely be used as North Korea’s main naval platform for nuclear signal operations, crisis response, and naval strikes.

Immature ambition

The Asia Times newspaper previously published a report on North Korea’s alleged nuclear submarine, the Hero Kim Ok. The North Korean program is considered ambitious, but technically immature, which raises doubts about its credibility in the near term. The main challenges include perfecting the reactor design, reducing noise, and long-term maintenance. North Korea’s Romeo-class submarines, which date back to the Soviet era, suffer from noise, limited endurance capacity, and challenges in command and control. Not to mention that it is vulnerable to anti-submarine warfare attacks, which likely limits its use to coastal “fortress” operations, and reduces its deterrent value.

It may take years to acquire the real ability to launch a second strike from the sea, which reflects a gap between “strategic intent” and “available practical capability.”

In view of all this, the Choi Hyun submarine constitutes a temporary solution for maritime deterrence, and to buy time, until the technical capabilities of the North Korean submarine system are fully mature.

Nuclear command structure

On the ideological level, Choi Hyun highlights the growing tensions in North Korea’s nuclear command structure.

It is worth noting that the North Korean Nuclear Forces Act of 2022 stipulates that it is subject to the absolute central command of Kim Jong Un, but it also stipulates that if the country’s nuclear command and control center is exposed to the risk of attack, a nuclear strike will be launched “automatically and immediately,” which shows a tension between the highly personal central command and the mechanism that was planned in advance.

A report issued by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, in August 2022, indicates that North Korea may adopt a hybrid command and control system, combining central political control with limited delegation of powers, to improve its ability to survive and respond quickly.

It is noteworthy that Kim Jong-un will retain the authority to launch long-range strategic nuclear weapons, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, while applying a limited mandate to tactical systems deployed in front-line units. The report indicates that this approach reduces the risk of failure of central command, avoids the political risks of completely transferring powers, and supports the shift towards a regional strategy for nuclear war, by enabling faster and more decentralized use of weapons with less destructive power under specific circumstances.

In practical terms, Kim will likely retain full control over intercontinental deterrence, while the cruise missiles carried by the destroyer Choi Hyun will be used as nuclear assets directed at regional targets under controlled, albeit pre-planned, launch conditions.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency report notes that nuclear operations conducted from submarines require pre-assembled weapons and procedural controls, although vulnerabilities may necessitate early deployment or mandated launch conditions in a crisis.

However, the report states that North Korea’s submarines may be too vulnerable for such a mission, and that their true value is primarily psychological, complicating US and South Korean decision-making. About “Asia Times”

Choi Hyun increases the risk of escalation

Strategically, the destroyer Choi Hyun enhances survivability by deploying nuclear assets at sea, but it also increases the risks of escalation, especially since its cruise missiles are capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. The destroyer also indicates closer relations with Russia, which may reduce dependence on China and reshape the dynamics of regional alliances.

While Choe Hyun adds limited naval power in itself, it deepens nuclear ambiguity, complicates decision-making in crises, and increases the risk of miscalculation in any future conflict.