Kim Vows Nuclear Navy as US Allies Launch Drills — SkimNews
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- Kim Jong Un vowed at the Kang Kon's commissioning in Wonsan on Sunday to build North Korea's navy into a nuclear-armed force, saying the "new-generation destroyer should deal a deadly retaliatory blow at the enemies" as part of the "state nuclear counteraction system."
- The Kang Kon, one of two 5,000-tonne class warships launched last year, partially capsized during its May 2025 launch before Kim oversaw its July test; Kyungnam University professor Lim Eul-chul said Kim's "nuclear-armed navy" language suggests the vessels could serve as launch platforms for tactical nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
- Kim said North Korea is carrying out an "important plan" to strengthen its navy that will be demonstrated "in eight months," which Lim said could foreshadow a new submarine capable of carrying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
- The Freedom Edge drills involving Japan, South Korea, and the United States run through Friday in international waters east and south of Jeju Island, established in 2023 to deter Pyongyang's missile and nuclear threats and proceeding despite President Trump curtailing separate drills to pursue diplomacy with Pyongyang.
- Lim Eul-chul said deploying the Kang Kon in the East Sea keeps the joint maritime exercises and deployments of nuclear assets "directly and within range" of North Korea.
- Photos of the ceremony showed Kim accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae, reportedly designated as his successor.
- North Korea has shown little sign of reciprocating Trump's overtures, firing missiles and condemning both the downsized drills and Washington's approval of arms sales to South Korea and plans to fund human rights documentation programs.
Why it matters: Kim paired a concrete eight-month timeline for a new naval strategic asset with the deployment of a nuclear-capable destroyer to the East Sea, placing the Freedom Edge drills — involving three nuclear-armed US allies — within range of a nuclear-armed vessel just as Trump is actively trying to reopen diplomacy with Pyongyang.
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