North Korea commissions second destroyer as Kim calls for stronger deterrent

Kim Jong Un commissioned North Korea's second destroyer as allied military drills began nearby. The move underscored Pyongyang's push for a stronger naval nuclear deterrent amid renewed tensions.

In Short

• Kim attended the Wonsan ceremony with his teenage daughter, seen as heir
• Kang Kon joins Choe Hyon as North Korea’s most advanced warships
• Pyongyang says naval nuclear arms broaden practical options for deterrence

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has commissioned the country’s second naval destroyer and called for a more reliable nuclear deterrent, according to state media reports on Monday. The move came as the United States, South Korea and Japan began a five-day trilateral military exercise that Pyongyang sees as a security threat.

The development also comes as North Korea steps up pressure on Washington after rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major US-South Korea military drill as a conciliatory gesture towards Kim. Observers say Pyongyang is seeking bigger concessions from the US.

The destroyer, named Kang Kon, was commissioned into North Korea’s navy on Sunday at a ceremony in the eastern port city of Wonsan. Kim attended the event with his teenage daughter, whom South Korea’s spy agency has described as his likely heir. State media photographs showed her in a white dress and blazer, walking beside her father on a red carpet, touring the warship and posing with sailors.

The Kang Kon and the Choe Hyon, which was commissioned in June, are both 5,000-tonne destroyers equipped with nuclear-capable missiles. They are North Korea’s most advanced warships.

In a speech at the ceremony, Kim said the back-to-back commissioning of the destroyers had instilled fear in enemies and that the nuclear armament of North Korea’s navy made it possible to use its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified and practical way. “Concerns of the enemies will be surely deepened,” Kim said. “We must establish more clearly a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent, to put into practice the diverse and effective operation of our nuclear combat systems and further strengthen our military activities for maritime defence and war deterrence.”

On Monday, the US, South Korea and Japan were set to begin their Freedom Edge exercise in waters off South Korea’s southern Jeju island. South Korea’s military has said the exercise is defensive in nature and is meant to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threats. Last week, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of more clearly showing a confrontational posture towards the North, citing the Freedom Edge exercise and reported comments by US officials that Washington remains committed to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea.

On August 21, the US and South Korean militaries ended their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise six days earlier than originally planned after Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the drill. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with Kim, who views the exercise as a rehearsal for invasion. But Kim’s sister and senior official Kim Yo Jong dismissed the outreach, saying merely shortening the drill would not change its “provocative, aggressive nature”. North Korea later launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea, apparently carrying out its earlier threat to respond to the US-South Korean exercise.

Kim has previously said he could return to talks if the US drops what he calls its hostile policy towards North Korea and recognises the country’s status as a nuclear state. His earlier diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on how much economic benefit North Korea should receive in return for a limited denuclearisation step. Monday’s developments underlined the renewed tensions around North Korea’s military build-up and its response to joint exercises involving the US and its allies.

With PTI Inputs

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