Kim Jong-un, North Korea's Chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, observed sea trials of the new 5,000-ton-class destroyer Ganggun and again stressed naval modernization. Ganggun was the ship that ran aground at its launch ceremony last year.
On the 6th, Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the Central Committee of the (North) Korean Workers' Party, reported, "Comrade Kim Jong-un visited the Korean People's Army Navy destroyer Ganggun, which began an operational capability evaluation test process on June 4, and observed the ship's sea trial." Photos published by the newspaper showed Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, also boarding.
Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim boarded Ganggun and grasped the situation of various combat duty spaces and elements, including the integrated command post, as well as the test voyage plan and the step-by-step schedules for testing the ship's armament systems.
Kim said, "Only by equipping ourselves with practical and strong military power that can responsibly exercise military sovereignty in any space on land, at sea and in the air can we deter war and safeguard peace," adding, "This is our Party's steadfast view and national defense policy."
He went on to stress, "In particular, we regard as the most important core of the new five-year defense development policy the rapid growth and strengthening of our naval forces into a capability that can reliably shoulder a share of nuclear war deterrence, and into a group that can inflict fatal strikes on the enemy at any time, underwater and on the surface."
Kim also mentioned a five-year plan for "naval modernization" approved at the 9th Party Congress. Regarding the development and production of a 10,000-ton-class "underwater secret weapon" and the "plan to strengthen ship forces," he was quoted as expressing expectations, saying it "will surely be carried through by a reliable and powerful national defense science research group, an independent shipbuilding industry, and a strong and wise munitions working class."
He also asked that the destroyers Choe Hyon and Ganggun be commissioned into the navy as soon as possible.
On Apr. 26 last year, North Korea unveiled its first new 5,000-ton-class destroyer, Choe Hyon, at the Nampo Shipyard on the West Sea. About a month later, it held a launch ceremony for Ganggun, the second destroyer of the same class, at the Chongjin Shipyard on the East Sea, but a grounding accident occurred.
In March, Kim referred to the construction process of the third destroyer of the Choe Hyon class underway at the Nampo Shipyard and ordered it to be built by Oct. 10, the Party's founding anniversary this year.