3 hours ago
6
North Korean's state news agency KCNA on Wednesday said the country conducted its first test-firing of its new "Choe Hyon-class" warship earlier this week.
Leader Kim Jong Un and other officials attended the test, where supersonic and strategic cruise as well as anti-air missiles were launched.
The 5,000-ton warship was named after anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon.
Ship to be deployed next year
KCNA reported that Kim was impressed by the ship's powerful strike and conventional defenses and said it will be deployed next year.
He also said the time had come for "accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy" for maritime sovereignty and for the sake of national defense.
The North Korean leader said the country's ship-based firepower system "effectively combined" with the "most powerful strike means including supersonic cruise missile, strategic cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile."
He said acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine would be the next big step.
How did Washington and Seoul respond?
US and South Korean intelligence were monitoring Pyongyang's activities, South Korean defense officials said. Experts believe the vessel is capable of carrying both ship-to-surface and ship-to-air missiles, based on its size.
Washington and Seoul are concerned about Russian help to North Korea's nuclear and military ambitions.
38 North, a think tank focusing on North Korea told Reuters news agency that the Choe Hyon-class could need more work before it could work with its own propulsion. They said a satellite image showed the ship using tug boats to push it towards a floating drydock.
Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP that the new vessel highlights the north's determination to acquire so-called blue-water operation capabilities, referring to missions carried out in maritime regions far from North Korea's own coastal waters.
Why Russia and North Korea can't quit each other (for now)
Edited by: Alex Berry
