Kim Jong-un, North Korea's state affairs commission chairperson, visited the new 5,000-ton-class destroyer Choe Hyon-ho ahead of its commissioning (entering service after being newly built) and observed a fleet-to-ground strategic cruise missile test launch. He also moved to check the state of training.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 5th, the chairperson boarded the destroyer Choe Hyon-ho at the Nampo Shipyard on the 3rd to 4th to grasp the marines' ship operation training conditions and the ship's performance and the process of evaluating its operational capability. After observing a sea trial on the 3rd, the chairperson said the ship's maneuverability met operational requirements and called it a new symbol of the nation's maritime defense.
At the same time, the chairperson signaled additional destroyer construction, saying, We must build two surface ships of this class or higher every year during the new five-year plan period and faithfully carry out the plan for building a vast surface fleet.
Choe Hyon-ho is a destroyer named after the father of Choe Ryong Hae, chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. It is North Korea's first new 5,000-ton-class destroyer and was launched on Apr. 25 last year.
The chairperson said the navy's nuclear armament is being carried out satisfactorily and added, Our navy will be equipped with formidable offensive power. This is thoroughly defense. The chairperson went on, The execution process of the defense development plan over the next five years will become another period of transformation that once again changes the structure of our armed forces.
The chairperson also observed a sea-to-ground (ship-to-ground) strategic cruise missile test launch conducted on Choe Hyon-ho on the 4th. Earlier, on Apr. 28 to 29 last year, North Korea had released footage of a cruise missile being launched during Choe Hyon-ho's first armed test firing, but this is the first time it has showcased the capability to fire cruise missiles consecutively from a warship. The Korean Central News Agency reported that the test launch proceeded successfully.
The chairperson also inspected the construction status of the third ship of the Choe Hyon-class destroyers. The chairperson was quoted as highly praising it, saying, By building the first new-generation multipurpose destroyer, we have redoubled the spirit we have set in motion, and we are excellently building another Choe Hyon-class destroyer by the Party founding anniversary day this year, when the historic Party Congress was held. North Korea's Workers' Party founding anniversary is Oct. 10. It appears a third destroyer of a similar class to Choe Hyon-ho is being additionally built with completion targeted by then.
Meanwhile, on the 3rd, the chairperson watched a marksmanship competition of snipers from units at all levels held at Pyongyang's 60th Training Base under the Capital Defense Corps on Sniper's Day. The chairperson said, In the composition of our armed forces, the combat capability and role of snipers are being given greater emphasis, and added, Bringing rapid and qualitative change in strengthening the power of snipers is an important requirement in implementing the Party's line of modernizing a strong army.
The chairperson added, Marksman-level, bull's-eye-every-shot marksmanship is a symbol of our military's unrivaled combat power, and this is a programmatic guideline for cultivating all-around snipers, each capable of matching a hundred, who are well versed in shooting methods and subtleties.
In this shooting competition, the Air Force Special Operations Brigade took first place. The 4th Corps followed in second, and the 1st Corps took third.