North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits naval destroyer: Report
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting the Choe Hyon naval destroyer at a military exhibition on Oct 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Choe Hyon naval destroyer at a military exhibition on Oct 5, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Oct 6.
Mr Kim said the navy should be prepared to “thoroughly deter or counter and punish the enemy’s provocations”, KCNA said.
The annual Defence Development exhibition promotes North Korea’s “remarkable development” of its modernised military, the agency reported.
It is unclear when the ships will become operational, analysts said.
South Korea-based SI Analytics reported in September that satellite imagery showed North Korea had finally installing engines in the Choe Hyon and predicted it could conduct sea trials as soon as October.
The US is seeking to revive its navy with its allies South Korea and Japan amid rising geopolitical tensions with China.
South Korean shipbuilders, among the industry’s leaders, are mulling over an expansion in the US defence market, including investing in US shipyards.
In May, a Choe Hyon-class destroyer partially capsized during a botched launching ceremony Mr Kim attended, which he called a “criminal act”. REUTERS
