North Korea has deployed the 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon-ho to active service. Choe Hyon-ho is called North Korea's version of an EGIS ship, reportedly capable of launching strategic cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
On the 24th, the Korean Central News Agency reported that on the 23rd, a commissioning ceremony for Choe Hyon-ho was held at Nampo Port in South Pyongan Province, with Kim Jong-un, chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, in attendance.
Chairperson Kim said in a commemorative address at the commissioning ceremony that the status of the navy—long regarded as the weakest among North Korea's service branches—has changed, adding, "Our navy's combat power will become something astonishing beyond imagination."
He added, "The period when the navy existed as a force for coastal defense is now clearly a thing of the past," and, "The navy is confidently growing into a service branch equipped with strategic means, and the navy's nuclear armament is proceeding precisely along a planned path."
Chairperson Kim went on to say, "By making our powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent even clearer, we will enable our nuclear forces to be operated in a multifaceted and effective manner," adding, "Through this, we will be able to firmly seize the initiative in military activities for maritime defense and war deterrence."
North Korea plans to soon deploy to active service Kang Kon-ho, which ran aground during its launching ceremony last year but has recently been undergoing performance tests. It also plans to build a base to berth large vessels like Choe Hyon-ho.