North Korea’s Largest Ever Warship Is A 5,000-ton Destroyer With 64 Missile Launchers

North Korean naval strategy historically focused on defending the immediate coastal waters using torpedo boats, corvettes, and midget submarines.

However, the leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to change this by equipping the country’s navy with bigger and more advanced warships with nuclear weapons to meet the naval capabilities of South Korea and the U.S.

He envisages the new navy to project power beyond its shores and enable stricter maritime control over contested waters where countries like China and Russia have frequently conducted maritime exercises.

To fulfil this ambition, North Korea launched its first large warship, the 5000-ton Choe Hyon, at the port city of Nampho, calling the nuclear arming of the fleet a ‘strategic course’ to keep it combat-ready for ‘multifaceted and efficient operations.’

This story was originally published by Marine Insight. Read the full story at Marine Insight →