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Kim Jong Un commissioned North Korea's second nuclear-capable destroyer, the 5,000-tonne Kang Kon, at a Wonsan ceremony Sunday as the U.S., South Korea and Japan began their five-day Freedom Edge exercise off Jeju island.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Kang Kon** joined North Korea's navy at a Wonsan ceremony Sunday, becoming the country's second 5,000-tonne destroyer equipped with nuclear-capable missiles after the Choe Hyon's June commissioning.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Kim Jong Un** said the back-to-back destroyer commissionings 'instilled fear' in enemies and called for 'a more powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent' in his ceremony speech.

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Kim Commissions 2nd Nuclear Destroyer as Allies Drill — SkimNews

By The Hindu · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-07

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Kang Kon joined North Korea's navy at a Wonsan ceremony Sunday, becoming the country's second 5,000-tonne destroyer equipped with nuclear-capable missiles after the Choe Hyon's June commissioning.
Kim Jong Un said the back-to-back destroyer commissionings 'instilled fear' in enemies and called for 'a more powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent' in his ceremony speech.
Kim's daughter toured the warship in a white dress and blazer alongside her father on a red carpet — South Korea's spy service has identified her as Kim's likely heir.
North Korea fired approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the sea after the U.S.-South Korean Ulchi Freedom Shield drill ended August 21, six days earlier than scheduled at Trump's order to 'substantially reduce' it.
Kim Yo Jong dismissed Trump's outreach as cosmetic, saying shortening the drill does not change its 'provocative, aggressive nature' and that Pyongyang wants bigger U.S. concessions.
Freedom Edge, the five-day U.S.-South Korea-Japan exercise, kicked off Monday off South Korea's Jeju island, with Seoul framing it as defensive and aimed at North Korea's nuclear threats.
Kim Jong Un has conditioned any return to talks on the U.S. dropping its 'hostile policy' and accepting North Korea as a nuclear state — the same dispute that collapsed his 2019 diplomacy with Trump, though experts say his leverage is now greater thanks to deepened Russia and China ties.

Why it matters: Kim Yo Jong's public dismissal of Trump's shortened-drill gesture, combined with Kim Jong Un's unchanged precondition for talks, shows the courtship has produced no slowdown. Two 5,000-tonne nuclear-capable destroyers now sit in North Korea's fleet, and experts quoted in the source say Kim's leverage is greater than during his 2019 diplomacy due to his advancing program and Russia-China backing.