Workers at North Korea’s Nampo Shipyard vowed to build the nuclear-armed country’s third 5,000-ton destroyer by October 2026, state-run media reported Tuesday. Leader Kim Jong Un, seen here attending a launch ceremony for the Kang Kon destroyer in June, has called for an increase in naval warship production. File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE
North Korea plans to build another 5,000-ton destroyer by October 2026, state-run media reported Tuesday, following the launch of two warships earlier this year.
Workers at the Nampo Shipyard held a rally on Monday and “pledged to build another new-type destroyer by October 10, 2026,” the official Korea Central News Agency reported.
The date marks the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
Pyongyang launched its first 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, at the Nampo Shipyard in April. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including nuclear-capable cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports.
Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon’s missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development.
North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs.
A second destroyer, named the Kang Kon, suffered an accident at its launch ceremony in May that left it listing on its side.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was in attendance at the launch, called the mishap a “criminal act” and warned of serious consequences for those found responsible. At least four officials were arrested in the aftermath.
The Kang Kon was repaired and relaunched in June, although analysts have questioned whether it is fully operational. At that ceremony, Kim vowed to “commission two destroyers of the same class or higher into the navy every year.”
At Monday’s rally, the shipyard manager urged workers to uphold the ruling party’s “plan for building a powerful army” and to achieve “miraculous success … in the building of another new-type warship,” KCNA reported.
The workers began construction of the new destroyer immediately after the rally, KCNA said.
