North Korea's Kim attends ceremony for launching new 5,000-ton warship

A view of what North Korea says is a "new multipurpose destroyer," in Nampo, North Korea, in this picture released on Saturday. | KCNA

Japan Times
April 26, 2025

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony for the launch of a "new multipurpose destroyer," state-run media reported Saturday.

The 5,000-ton warship was equipped with the "most powerful weapons" and built "within 400-odd days perfectly with our own strength and technology," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted Jo Chun Ryong, a secretary in the ruling Workers' Party, as saying.

Kim, in a speech from the launch reported by KCNA, said the warship would be handed over to the navy and go into service early next year.