North Korea’s leader supervises the testing of modern naval weapons

North Korean media reported on Sunday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised this week a weapons test on the Kang Kuon naval destroyer, which weighs five thousand tons. The tests included launching cruise missiles and using “electronic warfare means.”

It is noteworthy that this warship is the same one that partially capsized in the waters last year during its inauguration, before it was later repaired.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the tests were conducted on Friday, less than two weeks after another destroyer, the Choi Hyun, which also weighs five thousand tons, entered service.

During the inauguration ceremony of Choi Hyun, Kim pledged to provide his navy with nuclear weapons and develop new warships weighing 10,000 tons.

After testing its weapons on Friday, Kim issued directives to put the destroyer Kang Geun into service in the navy “within two months,” according to the agency.
Pictures published by the agency showed Kim surrounded by officials as he monitored the tests from a coastal observation point.

While Kim reiterated the need to accelerate the pace of strengthening North Korea’s “military deterrence,” he stressed “our determination to possess absolute power,” according to the agency.