Kim Jong Un, North Korea's supreme leader, visited the site to observe the test firing of anti-ship guided missiles from the destroyer "Choe Hyon," emphasizing the main goal of enhancing nuclear deterrence capability and continuing weapons development.
On 14 April 2026, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un personally went to observe another missile test launched from a warship, reiterating that the country's highest mission is to strengthen its nuclear war deterrence capability.
The report stated that North Korea fired two strategic guided missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer "Choe Hyon" on the previous Sunday as part of an operational performance test. The guided missiles flew for approximately 7,869 to 7,920 seconds, while the anti-ship missiles flew for 1,960 to 1,973 seconds before accurately striking targets in the Yellow Sea.
Kim Jong Un said this test aimed to evaluate the integrated fire control system of the warship as well as the performance of the newly developed anti-jamming guidance system. He stated that the strategic operational capability of the military has been qualitatively enhanced and called for the continuous and unlimited strengthening of nuclear war deterrence capabilities.
The term "strategic" used by Pyongyang authorities generally refers to weapons potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Official media images showed Kim observing from a dock alongside senior military officials at an undisclosed location. Previously, in March, North Korea conducted two similar missile tests from this same 5,000-ton warship before it was officially commissioned.
The report noted that the destroyer "Choe Hyon" was first unveiled in April 2025 as part of North Korea's naval force development plan. Subsequently, another similarly sized destroyer named "Kang Kon" was revealed in June 2025. Kim Jong Un has also ordered the completion of a third destroyer of the same class by the 10 October anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea this year, reflecting the ongoing acceleration of North Korea's military buildup.
/source Yonhap/